A Time to Rise REDUX
by SilverSiro
Summary: Siro's been searching for his parents in Paragon City for two years now. Will he finally be able to find them, or does fate have another plans for this unsuspecting hero? Siro must find out who he truly is, in order to save himself from the darkness.
1. A Step Towards Fate

**DISCLAIMER : I do not own or I am affiliated with City of Heroes, NCSoft, or Cryptic. I only claim ownership of the idea and the characters in this story.**

**Chapter 1 : A Step Towards Fate  
**

"An encounter with things from your past will force you to reconsider all you know."

Siro sat on the roof of one of the tallest buildings in Steel Canyon, those words ringing in his head. Meeting that fortune teller wasn't a coincidence, Siro thought, there are no coincidences. Siro stood up, shaking the thought from his head. Just drop it, Siro. He laid back and ran his fingers through his pure white hair, letting out a deep sigh. Standing up, he glanced down at the ledge below him, picking up a backpack that lay next to him, and he leapt off the building. He fell towards the ledge he was looking at, and as soon as his feet touched it, he gave a grunt and pushed off. He flew forward towards another building, and as soon as he touched that building, he pushed off of it in a sharp angle right towards another one. He kept zigzagging across the buildings. His goal was Icon, a place where heroes can go to fix and change their costumes. Once the store was in sight, he pushed off the last building, doing a forward flip before landing on one knee in front of the entrance doors. He heard a few of the civilians calling him a showoff. He just smiled and walked in.

"Siro! Welcome to Icon. How may we help you?" one of the store associates greeted him as soon as he entered. He glanced around the store, seeing only a couple of people in it.

"Uh, yeah. I kinda got a hole in these pants on a mission." He pulled a pair of pants out from the pack he was carrying. "Do you think they can be fixed?" The associate took the pants and looked at the hole.

"I'm sure we can," she stated, "I'll take these to the back. Have a look around the store and I'll come get you once we're done." Siro nodded and walked over to the section of the store where the gloves were kept. He wanted to get some gloves as his hands are starting to get very sore from wielding his swords all the time. He picked up a pair of sturdy, black leather gloves and tried them on. "These should work," he said out loud to himself.

"Talking to yourself, eh Siro?" He quickly turned around to see a woman standing behind him. She was just a little shorter then him, and had long brown hair. She was wearing a short white skirt, a tight white top that went up from her waist, and wrapped around her neck.

"Hey Katie! Didn't think I'd see you again this soon," Siro said, smiling.

"I just felt like a costume change," Katie said, "What do ya think?" She did a quick twirl.

"Very nice," Siro said, his voice cracking a little. Katie laughed,

"No ideas Siro, eyes up here," she said as she lifted Siro's chin up to meet her eyes. Siro never noticed how her eyes shine green in the light. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Katie turned her head.

"Well, stay out of trouble Siro. I'll catch ya later!" She said as she turned to leave the store.

Siro smiled, "Aren't you the one that got caught in over her head. Take care, Katie Rose." She gave him a dirty look as she walked out the doors.

Siro remembers he just met Katie last week. He was walking out of a building he was checking on for a contact when he heard some noise from an alleyway next to him. When he went to look, he saw a woman, in a blue top and blue pants, being held by the arm in the middle of a group of Hellions. As he walked towards them he could hear what they were saying.

"So, you thought you could just humiliate me yesterday? Let's show her how hot we like it boys," the big one holding her arm was the one talking. Siro drew the sword at his side and spoke up.

"Hey! Six against one isn't that fair. Can I join?" He said, smirking. The hellions turned around and picked up a couple bats.

"Stupid hero. Show him not to mess with us," the same one said. The other five started running towards Siro. He smiled and gripped his sword. The first one to reach him swung the bat down at Siro's head. Siro simply stepped to the side and sent his left fist into the guy's temple. Another was still charging at him, so Siro twisted around and landed his right foot right into the man's gut. Siro flipped his sword around, and hit the guy hard square in the nose with the blunt end. Yet another he hit with his left elbow, dropped the sword, slammed his right fist in the same spot, and grabbed the sword before it hit the ground. He swept the last one off his feet with his foot, bent up straight and slammed his fist into the guy's face as he fell, making him slam into the ground hard. The others just fell to the ground unconscious. All this took place within just a few seconds. The one holding the woman had a dumbfounded look on his face.

He tossed the woman to the side and ran saying, "I don't have time for this." Siro was about to give chase, when the guy slowed to a crawl. Suddenly, he flew forwards and crashed into the cement wall at the end of the alley. He fell from the wall into the dumpster below. The lid slammed shut as the woman stood up. "Back in the trash, where he belongs," she said as she turned to look at Siro.

"Thanks for the help. I'm Katie, Katie Rose. And you are?" She extended a hand and Siro shook it.

"I'm Siro, and I'm guessing you didn't really need my help." Katie just laughed.

"I got into a little trouble, nothing too bad though."

Siro just smiled, "I'm late for an appointment, but maybe I'll see ya around sometime."

Katie nodded and smiled, "Just maybe, Cya sometime Siro."

"Same to you," he said, "take care of yourself."

"Siro! I have you order ready. Please come over here to finish up," said the store associate as Siro was browsing through some sunglasses.

He walked over to the counter and laid down his gloves, "I'll need these too." The woman picked up the gloves and typed something off of the tags on them and into the computer.

"Alright, your total comes to $24.67," she said. Siro dug around in his pack and pulled out a small card.

"I have this. A contact passed it on to me," he handed the card to the woman.

"Ok, One free Icon purchase. No charge then Siro. Do you need a bag?"

Siro smiled, "No thanks," he said as he put the pants and gloves into his pack. He turned and started walking out of the store. Right as he opened the door, he turned back to the woman, "Oh, could I add a pair of sunglasses to this?"

He slung the backpack onto his back as he walked out the store. He put the pair of sunglasses on right as his phone rang. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out,

"Hello...Yeah... Alright, on my way now." He shoved the phone back into his pocket, bent his knees, and jumped high into the air. He was heading towards Skyway City. I wonder what Lorenzo wants this time, he thought. It didn't take but a few moments until he was at the tram.

Once in Skyway, Siro dashed off and landed on an overpass right above his contact. He turned his back to the edge and raised his arms out to the side. He did a back flip off, twisting around as he fell and landed on his feet right next to Lorenzo.

Lorenzo turned around, shocked, but not surprised. "Siro, we have no time for you to show off," he said. Siro lowered his head a little.

"I'm sorry. What's so urgent?" Lorenzo just laughed.

"Its cool man. In fact, I should be used to it. Anyway, a friend of mine high up asked specifically for you. His name is Unai. I have no idea why he wanted you, because normally, he only has missions that high ranking heroes can handle."

Siro was a little stumped, "What's the mission?"

Lorenzo just shook his head, "Unai wouldn't tell me. He was acting very odd. He told me to get you there ASAP. He's at Portal Corp. You know, on Peregrine Island?" Siro nodded. He's never been there, but he knows where it is.

"Just watch yourself over there Siro. Peregrine can get pretty dangerous. Take this with you." He pulled out a ring and handed it to Siro.

"The people over at DATA call that a 'Hyper' ring. It scrambles your molecules to make you intangible. You can't be hurt, but you won't be able to touch anything either." Siro looked at the ring. It was a little bulky, and a big black stone in the middle. The stone was loose.

"Push down on that stone to activate it," Lorenzo explained, "Now it's only good for 30 minutes. After that the battery dies. Just give it back to me soon, I promised to have it back by now." Siro nodded and took his pack off.

"Could you hold onto this for me?" Siro asked. Lorenzo nodded at Siro and waved him off.

"Just remember; A hero with your rank wouldn't even be thought of. Take it as an honor. Now get going. Unai wants you there yesterday!" Siro laughed and jumped off, heading for Peregrine.

After the tram arrived in Talos Island, and leapt high into the air, heading north. Landing in front of the ferry to Peregrine, Siro glanced over both of his shoulders. He felt as if he was being followed, even though he didn't see anyone. He took a deep breath in, shrugging off the thought. As he stepped onto the ferry, the gate was lowered behind him. It seems he made it just in time. Siro walked over to the railing of the ferry as it left. He watched as the waves came crashing into the side of the ship. He could also see some of the fish swimming along side of the ship. This was the most relaxed he's been since he came to Paragon two years ago. Countless leads took him all over Paragon searching for his missing parents, but it always led to a dead end. It felt like someone was keeping him away. He took a deep breath, but he got an eerie feeling in his stomach. It was the same feeling he was getting on his way here. He could swear there was someone following him. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt someone tugging at his pant leg. He looked down to see a small girl about seven years old, with blonde hair in a blue shirt and jeans.

"Mr. Siro, could I please have your autograph?" She said, blushing. Siro smiled and took the paper and pen she was holding up.

"Of course you can, what's your name?" She turned bright red.

"I'm Emily" Siro began writing on the paper.

To Emily, may the heroes help keep you safe. From Siro

He handed the paper back to her and she smiled real big, saying "Thank you." She rushed to her parents and showed off the autograph. Siro just smiled, nodded at them, and turned back around.

As the ferry approached the dock, Siro was amazed how the small island was highly populated. He stepped off as the ferry docked, and leapt off in the direction of Portal Corp. Leaping from building to building, Siro saw some heroes that he's seen on the news. He wanted to go down and introduce himself, but he knew he had a mission to get to. He landed on a very tall building towards the north end of the island. He looked down and could see three huge, white buildings arranged in a square. Portal Corp, he thought to himself. He's heard rumors of this place, of all the different worlds this place can connect to. He took a few steps back, ran forward and pushed off at the last second, leaping towards the middle of the buildings. He landed in front of a dark skinned man next to the Portal Corp sign.

"Unai? Hey, I'm..."

"Siro, yes I know," Unai said, a harshness in his voice. "You sure took your time getting here." Siro frowned some.

"I'm here now, what's the situation?" Unai wouldn't look Siro in the eyes.

"Just listen. The scientists will brief you of the situation. The building behind me, go inside it. Walk through the metal detector, into the elevator, and go to sub floor 3. Walk down the hallway to your left, and the scientists are at the bottom in front of the portal."

Siro nodded, "Alright, but why so..."

"Go now, Siro!!" Unai yelled and Siro hurriedly walked off behind him. What an asshole, he thought. He was just about to run inside the building when, out of the corner of his eye, Siro saw a hero approach Unai. Unai smiled and shook the hero's hand, and happily talked with the hero. Siro reached up and squeezed the hilt of his sword. ...The hell?? Just because I'm not a high rank? That stupid son of ... Siro took a deep breath, a little surprised about the thoughts going through his head. He watched as the other hero nodded, looked at the building Siro was headed to, and he flew towards it.

As the hero passed Siro, he raised a hand and said "G'day hero!" Siro smiled and nodded saying, "Good day!" He just shrugged off the thought of Unai and headed into the building.

Inside the building it was very clean. There were a few chairs along the walls, and leading to the elevator was a big metal detector with a woman in a lab coat sitting by a computer. When Siro walked through the metal detector, an alarm went off. The woman stood up and asked for an ID. Siro handed over his hero ID. She took it and started typing on the computer. Siro just stood there looking patiently around the room as the woman moved slowly along. After a few minutes, the woman handed the ID back and smiled saying, "Have a safe trip Siro." He smiled back at her and nodded, sticking the ID back into his pocket. Walking towards the elevator, he could faintly hear the woman pick up the phone and say what he could have sworn was, "He's here."

When the elevator stopped, Siro took a deep breath and walked out. The hallway was pretty big. There were a few other heroes talking as they walked past him and into the elevator. He turned to the left and walked down that hallway. His jaw dropped when he entered the room. It was huge. There was a giant machine along the back wall with parts on it spinning incredibly fast. In the center of the machine, it looked like there was a rip in the dimension. That must be the portal, he thought. When he started walking down the ramp, a scientist was walking towards him. Siro swallowed hard. No turning back now...

"Siro!! You got here just in time. We were about to give up and send someone else in," the scientist said as he saw Siro. "Follow me." Siro nodded and walked closely behind him.

"So, what's the situation?" Siro asked, desperately wanting to find out.

"A big one," the man said as other scientists gathered around Siro. They checked his blood pressure, pricked his finger to take a small blood sample, and one scientists was scanning Siro with this small metallic object.

The scientist continued, "One of our top scientists went missing in a dead world." Siro looked at the man, confused. The scientist saw Siro's face and laughed, "Alright. A 'dead' world is a dimension that we found no life at all in. But, our scientist suddenly just disappeared. We still have a reading of her vital signs, and they're OK, but we can't find her. Her name is Kayla." Siro thought about it a second. He knew why he was chosen. A higher-ranking hero couldn't be bothered for a simple hunt, especially in a non-dangerous world.

"So you want me to go in and find her? If this is just a 'dead' world, why the hell can't you send a team of your people in and find her?"

The scientist frowned, "We asked for the help of a hero because, though the world may be dead, we're reading very strange signals coming from it. We asked Unai to call in a hero, and he said he had a perfect one."

Siro grew a little angrier, "So, just because it's a hunt in a dead world, why not send in a low-rank hero just in case? Seems like the higher heroes just didn't want to be bothered."

The scientist picked up a chart and looked at it, "Yes, we are shocked just like you. Listen, we didn't hand pick you for this, so don't take it out on us. Can we just deal with finding Kayla?" Siro lowered his head.

"Yes, I'm sorry, just a little frustrated...How long has she been missing?" He lifted up a piece of paper.

"About two hours and twenty-seven minutes." Siro turned and walked towards the portal, stopping right before he entered it. The scientist followed him.

"OK, we're giving you 3 hours. If you're not back by then, we're sending in a whole team of heroes to find you." Siro smirked and turned towards the portal again.

"I just need one hour" He walked in.

The feeling was indescribable. It felt like his very molecules were being torn apart, yet he was numb. He was still conscious, but he could see all around him. He ever swore his own head was floating around, detached from his body.

Once through the other side of the portal, Siro landed face first on the ground with a hard thud. As he pushed himself onto his knees, he shook his head side to side. Wow...That felt...Odd, he thought. Once he got to his feet, he took a look around.

"Dead" didn't hardly describe the place. There were very tall buildings, but they looked extremely old and trashed, with sections missing from them. Many of them were even leaning at sharp angles, looking as if they could fall any second. The whole place was also flooded. Bits of the roads and highway would stick out above the water. Siro started walking down the road he was on, looking for clues. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw some papers floating in the water next to the portal. He jumped into the water and examined them. They were very fragile, and most of the ink that was on them was running off. As he studied the papers, he saw the same symbol of each of them; the Portal Corp insignia. He leapt out of the water, found a good-sized rock to wrap the papers around, and tossed them back through the portal. They just might want those back, he thought.

Siro felt sick at his stomach suddenly. He glanced up at one of the buildings, bent his knees, and quickly leapt to the top of it. He looked around quickly on the roof, dead sure he saw something. He drew out both of his swords.

"Dead world my ass...I can feel it," he said outloud. Siro jumped into the air, turning around to face the building as he fell. He landed on his feet and leapt backwards. He stopped and looked back up to the top of the building and his eyes widened. There was a figure on the edge of the building, staring down at him. He bent his knees again, and leapt high into the air. He soared above the figure, which just stood there calmly. He landed on the opposite side of the roof and faced the man, who kept his back turned towards Siro. He could make out some details about the man. He had very long white hair, which flowed into the wind. He had a black baggy shirt on, that had a hood attached to the back of it. The pants were black and baggy as well, though they were tattered. Through the holes, you could see the man's pale white skin. Siro was just about to ask who he is, when the man spoke up.

"The world has grown cold, but I could feel your warmth," he said with a deep voice. "You are not from this plane, who are you?"

Siro was nervous, but he spoke up, "My name is Siro. All I want here is a woman who is lost. I don't wish to fight."

The man still faced off the roof, into the lifeless world, "The scientist?" he said, "She was taken by the one who came before you."

Siro was stumped, "Excuse me? 'The one before me'? I came alone."

The man spoke up again, "So...That's what you think?... I see it now. It's all happening like I remember." Siro gave up on trying to figure out what this man is saying.

"Can you tell me where she is?" Siro asked. "She'll be dead by the time you reach her...She was for me."

Siro was confused, but someone is dying. "Tell me where she is!!" he commanded.

"Two miles southeast, but you can't make it. It is fate" Siro ignored him and dashed off.

Two miles was just a couple of full speed leaps to Siro. He was moving so fast, the water didn't even ripple as he jumped off of it. He approached another piece of land sticking out above the water.

"It's been about two miles. That must be it." He landed on one of the roads and started yelling out "Kayla!!" Siro saw the man standing next to the corner of a building. He ignored the thought of how the man got there before him and ran to his side. He froze as soon as he reached the building. There was Kayla, pinned to the side of the building like a poster on a wall. It was a long thin blade sticking out from her chest that was holding her up.

Siro walked over to her and yanked out the sword, dropping it and catching her body. She was limp as he laid her onto the ground. He checked for a pulse, but slammed his fist into the ground as he felt nothing. "Damnit!!!" he yelled out loud.

The man spoke up, "This sight haunts me every time. A helpless person murdered for what?" Siro glared over at him.

"For fate…It's a cruel game." Confused, Siro turned and looked the man right in his eyes. He nearly fell backwards as he caught his first real sight of the man. He looked exactly like Siro!!

"You want to know the worse part of all this?" the older Siro said, "It's all just a part of a big plot." Siro got back on his feet, and pointed a sword right at the man.

"Okay." He took a deep breath. "Who are you and WHAT the HELL is going on?!" The man turned away from Siro, facing the dead world.

"I am you, Siro. And behold, this is the power we hold!!" He raised his arms to the sky, stretching out like he was going to touch the sky. Siro stood motionless.

"This world is yours."

Siro just blinked, "What do you mean? What power are you talking about, and what happened here?" The older one lowered his hands and turned to face Siro.

"Very soon your future will be set. A choice you will make will destroy your world, as it did mine."

Siro was getting frustrated, "How can I do ANYTHING like this?" The man tried to hide a slight smile.

"With the power that resides in you. Don't you see Siro? You're much different than you think, and very soon you will learn exactly what power you have." Siro started clinching his fists.

"I'm in control of my future, and I won't let this happen."

The man's smile turned into a frown, "it's already begun. It's all happening like I was told." Suddenly the man to called his sword, the same one that had Kayla pinned to the wall. He grasped it as he touched his hands.

"Forgive me Siro, I must fulfill my destiny." He raised the sword up and pointed it at Siro. Siro just turned to pick up Kayla's body. He held her in his arms as the man approached.

"Fight me!" Siro walked to the edge of the island, just turning his head to speak to the guy.

"I choose not to fight you. There's always a choice." The man got angry and made a small slice in Siro's back, just enough to cut his shirt and leave a tiny red line.

"Siro, you will fight me." Siro turned to face him, laying Kayla over one shoulder.

"You're blinded by fate. One thing I've learned over the years is that nothing goes as planned. If you're truly me, come back with me. Redeem yourself and enjoy using you powers for good as I do now."

The man laughed, "I was Siro. I was one of the greatest heroes in Paragon. You see, your choices you will make will devastate the world!"

Siro was stumped, "I thought it was destroyed because you wanted it to be." The man could hardly contain himself.

"And you call me blinded? Siro, Siro…You can't escape Fate, no one can." He raises his sword and points it back at Siro, "So draw your sword and let us complete MY destiny!"

Siro turned back towards the water, "Your destiny is what you make it. I'm in control and I will NEVER allow this to happen. Good-bye, and enjoy your life on this deserted world." Siro leapt off towards the portal at full speed. Many thoughts were going through his head at the moment. Can I really be this powerful? That man was me, is this an alternate dimension, or a possible future? Whatever it is, this will NOT come true.

Siro landed in front of the portal and was just about to walk into it, when the man landed right behind him and yelled, "Siro! You can't run from destiny. Fight me, for I am the one who killed your parents!"

Kayla's body dropped to the ground and Siro faced the man, a look of complete anger in his eyes.


	2. Mystery

**Chapter 2 : Mystery**

The wind howled as it blew through the ruined buildings. Old papers and dead leaves would run across the roads of the empty world. Even the water was void of life, completely empty. The only sounds were that of the portal tearing into the dimension. The two figures stood in front of it facing one another, staring each other down. The woman's body lay lifeless behind Siro's feet. He had one hand on the sword at his waist, griping it hard.

"What did you say!?" Siro yelled, anger prevalent in his voice.

The man smiled wide, showing his teeth. "You heard me. I watched your parents die." The man swung his sword in a circle. He held it out in front of him to look at. "With this exact blade actually. If you examine it closely, there's still blood on it." Siro closed his eyes tight, lowering his head. It's not true. He's lying to get me to fight him, isn't he? He griped the handle of his sword harder, opening his eyes and looking at the man. He was simply standing there, looking at the blade of the sword. "I remember it clear as day. They used me, turned on me, so I showed them the power I have." The man was smiling as if he enjoyed the memory. Siro felt as if he was on fire. He wanted so badly to make him tell the truth, or to pay if it is true. He started walking towards the man, slowly.

"Tell the truth. If you killed them, what did they look like?" Siro tested him. He knew what his parents looked like from a picture he had of them. He memorized it, so he would know them even if he passed them on the street. The man just grinned from ear to ear.

"Your father had long brown hair, the same color you used to have. He was a big man, not many would pick a fight with him. He was also smart, extremely smart, as he owned a whole corporation. In public, he always had on this blue suit, putting on the face of an honest man. But in private, he was completely different." He lowered his head slightly, "Your mother on the other hand. When I met her, she looked nothing like the picture. All I can say about her is...it was a pity kill." Siro stood with his mouth open. He had nailed the description of his father, but what he said about his mother made something click inside. Siro wanted to kill this man. He stood about twenty or so feet in front of the man. His eyes were glossed over, but not from tears. The older Siro looked into his younger self's eyes, smirking.

"Aww, you're not going to cry, now are ya?" Siro was clenching his fists so hard, he could feel his nails breaking the skin on his palms. Blood ran down his fists, but he didn't flinch. Both of his swords unsheathed without Siro even touching them. As they slowly pulled themselves out, Siro smirked.

"You wanted a fight, right?" The swords flew out of their sheathes, hovering in front of Siro. They started spinning very rapidly, moving to the side of Siro. "You got one!" Suddenly in a blur he grabbed the swords and ran directly at the man. He barely had time to raise his own sword and block Siro's attack, as he brought both the swords at a downward angle at the man. When the swords clashed, they sounded like thunder. Siro looked into the eyes of his older self. All he saw was anger; the same anger Siro felt toward this man now. He pushed off with his blades and land on his feet. He twisted the blades in his hand and jumped back towards the man. He swung the blade in his left hand at the man's head, which was quickly blocked by his own sword. Siro pushed on the blade as he brought the right sword straight towards the gut of his older self. The man quickly dodged to his left, pushing back on the blade, knocking Siro a few feet back.

"Come on Siro! Your faster," the man said, smirking. Siro griped his swords and snarled. He swung the left blade at an upwards angle to the man's head. He ducked down under the blade and raised his sword on his left, clashing with Siro's as he swung the other sword down at him. He was matching Siro's speed exactly. He thought of something and smirked. Siro swung his blades both at the man's head from different sides. this made the man duck down, just what Siro wanted him to do. Siro flipped backwards in the air, bringing both of his feet into the man's chin as he ducked down. He landed with his knees bent and arms crossed, both blades facing towards his back. He charged the man as he fell back, slashing him across the chest as he extended his arms out to the side. The older Siro landed with a thud on his back, but quickly jumped to his feet, smiling.

"I haven't felt pain in so long..." He brought his blade out in front of him, holding it with both hands. "Show me more." The man charged at Siro, bringing the blade up over his right shoulder. Siro jumped backwards right as he swung down; he could feel the wind from the swing. Siro swung down with his own blades, from different sides once again, but the man blocked one side with his sword, and caught the other with his hand. Siro was a little stumped.

"I told you. There's more power inside you than you know." He yanked Siro's sword right out of his hand, and slammed the same fist into Siro's chest. Siro knew he cracked something, as he fell back a few feet and landed on his back. He flipped up and landed on his feet. His chest was throbbing, like he got hit by lightning. He was getting pissed. He yelled out and flew at the man, landing in front of him, swinging his fists wildly. The man easily blocked Siro's punches, seeming to smile each time.

"Your too slow!" He landed a punch hard into Siro's stomach. Then he swung and hit Siro right in between the eyes with his other fist. He shut his eyes tight as he flew back, digging into the street. He got to his feet as the man was simply smiling. Siro lowered his head and closed his eyes. He took slow deep breaths, as if he was concentrating. The man started walking towards Siro, clenching his fists.

"Nothing is going to help you Siro." He was laughing as Siro called his swords to him. He clinched them tight as he opened his eyes, a faint glow dimming out as he stared at the man. He let out a breath and ran at the man. He swung a sword at the man's head, but it was simply blocked by his hand. He swung the other one towards the middle of the torso, but again, simply blocked by his hand. Siro was getting aggravated. He stabbed at the man's waist, but it was simply pushed aside. Siro started swinging the swords wildly, but each time you could hear the swords clashing with his hands, not even breaking the skin.

"So much for you to learn Siro. You're too weak." The man laughed out as Siro continued his assault. He gripped the swords harder, swinging faster, but still, just clashes. He was just laughing out loud at Siro, and all that was doing was making Siro angrier. He clinched his jaw and closed his eyes, keeping up the assault. He wanted to end this fight badly, to kill this man for what he did to his parents. That made something click. Siro opened his eyes and yelled out, moving his arms so fast they just looked like blurs. You could still hearing the clashing, but now the man's sharp breaths with them. Siro stared the man in the eyes, showing the hate he had for him inside.

All of a sudden the clashing stopped. It happened as if in slow motion. A squirt of blood appeared and landed on the ground. Siro glanced down and saw his sword go right through the man's hand, separating it from his arm. Time sped back up and Siro keep slashing wildly. There were no sounds of clashing now, just blood flying around Siro. He yelled out at the man again, the swings stopped, as Siro landed a hard kick right in the man's gut. He spun around as the man flew back, and landed a kick into the bottom of his chin, sending the man flipping in the air, and landing with a hard thud on his stomach. Siro twisted his swords in his hand, breathing heavily.

"You obviously forgot how fast you can actually be," he said in between breaths, "You die for what you did to my parents!" Siro charged at the man with his swords raised, but he was suddenly stopped. He couldn't move. The man was on his knees looking at the ground, but there was a clear red circle around him. He lifted his head to look at Siro. His eyes were brightly glowing red, and he was breathing very heavily. He slowly stood up to his feet, and Siro saw what damage he did. The man's arms were gone, just bloody stumps in their place. His shirt was completely torn, with cuts in the chest, but that's not what drew his attention. The man's chest was glowing red. There was something embedded in it, but Siro couldn't make it out. The man yelled out loudly in anger, pushing Siro back with an invisible force. He landed on his feet, but was a little disoriented. He could feel the power coming from the man.

"Siro…this…" he coughed up some blood, taking a few steps to get his balance.

"…THIS is your POWER!!" The man's whole body started violently glowing red. The only way Siro could stare straight at him was by holding his hand above his eyes. The ground started shaking wildly, cracks forming in the ground from the man. He yelled out very loudly, as Siro was thrown backwards. He slammed into the building hard, dropping his swords before he himself hit the ground. As he pushed himself back up, he couldn't see what hit him, as the man was still standing there. He picked up both of his swords and ran at the man. Siro got within 10 feet of the man and was frozen in place again. The man started laughing.

"You…don't get it, do you?" The man started staggering, the glow from his body dimming as more blood and more blood fell from his body. "This power…is yours also…." Siro gripped his swords tightly. He ran again at the man, but was quickly pushed back again. The light shining from the man was getting brighter again. Siro took in a deep breath and felt the gravity around him. He took a few steps backwards, and ran once again at the man. He used the gravity to propel him forwards as he soared into the air. He was stopped dead in his tracks, but this time just a few feet in front of the older version of himself.

"Use it…Use it Siro…Help me forget…" Siro was pushing against the force holding him in place. The ground was violently shaking around them, even the wind was picking up, swirling around the two men. Siro was using everything he had, even using the gravity to try to move his arms, but he wasn't budging. He was stuck in place, unable to move.

"Siro!! Use what you feel…Or I shall tear this dimension in two!!!!!" The man yelled out as the red light burst forth, nearly blinding Siro. The ground cracked more, splitting the little island into pieces. The water started crashing into the pieces, flowing towards the two men. That's when Siro realized, he's using the gravity to make his own version of a black hole. He could focus and see the gravity swirling into the man. This whole world was about to become a black hole. Siro pushed against the gravity, trying desperately to end this fight. Objects started flying towards the man, and simply disappearing. The world was starting to be sucked in. Siro saw Kayla's body flying towards them. His eyes widened. Her body disappeared into the hole as it got near both of them.

"Great…That's going to be hard to explain…"

Alright…How do I end this…? Siro could feel the ground start moving. The fight was about to end, one way or another. He started thinking. The man said this was all a plot; that the path has been set. So…I have to win this fight…I don't die here. He clenched the swords, and closed his eyes. He used his training; he could feel the gravity around him. He could see it holding him in place. As he was searching for a hole in the gravity around him, he felt a pushing from inside his body. It felt like something was being ripped out by the black hole. Siro tried holding it back, but remembered what the man said. Use what you feel. He took a deep breath, and pushed it out himself. He felt something he never felt before. He could feel it flowing from his body. It was gravity. He could produce his own gravity. Not anything big, but enough to help him. He quickly opened his eyes again as he could feel his little piece of land start floating towards the man. He let the gravity flow from his body, and it canceled out what held him in place. He leapt backwards right as his piece of land took off into the hole.

"...Use it…Complete my destiny." The man coughed as even his own blood was getting sucked into the hole. Siro jumped back again, as he got a clear view of the black hole and the man simply standing in it. The whole world was being sucked into nothingness. He sighed and leapt back at the man, towards the hole. He was using his new ability to cancel out what held him in place. He landed directly in front of the man, on the little piece of land that was left. He looked into the man's eyes. It felt like he was looking into a mirror. "Siro…the path has been set." He thrust his swords through the man's abdomen, the red glow dying out immediately, though the hole remained.

"Thank…you…" The man's body slowly started to lift up off the ground. "Siro…the choices you make will destroy the world…remember that. The choices…you….make…" The man was sucked into the black hole. Siro leapt backwards as a chunk of ground flew past him. Shit…I can't stop this thing… He sheathed his swords as he dodged what looked like a telephone pole being sucked in. The ground was violently shaking at this point. Siro could feel everything start moving towards the hole. He tried using the gravity to squeeze the hole shut, but to no use.

"Come on!!!!" Siro yelled out, getting frustrated. All of a sudden, the same bright red light shined forth from the black hole. Siro covered his eyes, but from what he could make out, the light was surrounding the hole; enclosing it. The shaking stopped, and the waters calmed. Siro squinted but he could see the hole was enclosed in a red 'ball'. The 'ball' started getting smaller and smaller. Siro walked up to it when it was about the size of a baseball.

"I can do that?...It's not the same." The 'ball' suddenly shined brightly, making Siro shut his eyes tightly. It shrunk down to the size of a pea, then exploded, sending Siro flying backwards into the water.

As he sank down into the water slowly, all he could think about was the power the man was using. He stretched out his hands and looked at them. He wondered how he did all this; how he could kill everyone. He shook the thought off and looked around in the water. Straightening himself up, he continued to sink until his feet touched the bottom. The water wasn't too deep, but he was running out of air. He bent his knees, as the water rippled around him, and pushed himself up through the water. He landed on a small piece of land that was left, shaking the water off himself.

Siro took in a deep breath, and started walking back towards the portal to leave. He stopped dead in his tracks, dropping his swords. The portal was gone. There was no sign of it anywhere. Siro started panicking.

"How the hell am I going to go home?!?!" He was jumping around to different islands, thinking he just lost his sense of direction. He stopped to take a breath and focused. He couldn't feel anything tearing into this world; he didn't see the blue and white glow of the portal; it was simply gone. He sat down on the edge of a road with his feet hanging in the water. I'm stuck here… Siro put his head down into his arms. He ran his hands through his hair over and over, until he let his hands drop to the side and raised his head, yelling.

"ARRRAGHH!!!!"

Siro repeatedly slammed his fists into the ground, over and over. His skin on his knuckles started to bleed from hitting the ground so hard. He hit the ground so hard it cracked, blood coming from his knuckles.. Siro lifted up his hands to look at them. The blood would run down his palm, eventually dripping from his wrist as it made its way down. He glanced down at the cracks from his tantrum. Then he looked back at his hands, in shock.

"Now, it isn't like the great Siro to lose his cool," a voice said from behind him. He was reluctant to stand and turn around, for that voice sounded all to familiar. Once he did turn around, it was confirmed who it was. The man's red hair blowing in the wind, scarcely hiding the scar over his eye. Siro could feel the same darkness he felt 2 years ago.

"Surprised to see me? I guess so…considering you left me for dead." Nytz said. He had a certain twisted smile on his face that sent a shiver down Siro's spine.

"I am, to an extent," He replied, "Yet, I knew someone was following me." Siro laughed slightly, "You look exactly the same…I bet it took ya a while to get used to that eye,' he said, pointing at it with his sword. Nytz groaned, the smirk changing to a frown.

"I still plan to get you for that one." He then smiled again suddenly, "Quite an impressive little fight you just had. I never thought someone as weak as you could do all this." He said as he turned to look around at the deserted planet.

"What do you want, Nytz?"

"Honestly? My revenge on you," he frowned again, "…but that'll have to come later. You and I have a common interest, and I think you'll like what I have to say."

"Why should I stand here and listen to you ramble?" Siro asked, as he twisted his swords in his hands and sheathed them. All Nytz could do was laugh.

"Ramble? OK then, don't listen to me. I'll just leave you on this dead rock to die." Siro froze. Nytz could get out of here?! "…Or just sit and wait till they open the portal back up, but they'd probably be coming for your head." Now Siro was confused.

"What the hell are you talking about? Did something happen back in our world?" Siro asked, a strange feeling of uneasiness coming over him.

"Well, let's just say…Those scientists that helped you in here..." Nytz had this devilish grin on his face. "They're the world's first human jigsaw puzzle." Siro felt as if he'd been stabbed; also furious.

"You killed them?!!?!" Siro grabbed his swords and was about to pull them out, when Nytz pulled a sword of his own; identical to the sword Siro carries on his back.

"Nope, I didn't kill them…" Nytz tossed the sword softly at Siro, just enough strength for Siro to grab it.

"You did."


	3. Coming Home

_**Chapter 3 : Coming Home**_

The blood was still fresh as some fell to the ground when Siro dropped it. Those people we're murdered.

"You don't remember? Let's jog your memory…" Nytz laughed evilly. "You pulled your blade out, and said 'I just need one hour.' Got that part? Then you flipped out and slaughtered them all, before you walked into the portal."

"Shut up Nytz!! I know you killed them, quit fucking with my head!" Siro yelled out, pulling his own sword out and pointing it at Nytz. "I'm going to make you pay."

"Tsk Tsk Siro, blaming your faults on someone else." Nytz started walking slowly around Siro, laughing. "…Alright I give. I killed them, but with that blade, they're going to think it was you."

"Not a chance," Siro said in his defense, "I'm a respectable Hero. I think they'll take my word over some low-life villain." It was all Nytz could do to stop from busting out laughing.

"I'm not going to be there. They'll look at the evidence."

Siro clenched his fists, and was about to charge Nytz when suddenly a loud tearing sound was heard. Close to them, a rip in the dimension was forming; the portal was opening back up. Nytz was just laughing.

"Here they come…So, what're you going to do?" He said, with that same smile that sends shivers down Siro's spine.

Siro let out a slight growl, feeling defeated, and then put away his swords.

"What do you want, Nytz?" Siro asked as Nytz dug into his pocket and disappeared from plain sight, tossing a small metal box with a single button on it. Siro caught it started to examine it. It was very small, just a couple inches long, with a belt clip on the back and a small button on the front.

"That will teleport you back into our world," Nytz said, somehow Siro could feel him smiling, "It was made by your father, just for you" Siro froze. _My father's alive?? _

"Once you activate that, you'll teleport out of here. Also, don't worry about the hospital teleports. They've been taken care of." Siro wondered how Nytz knew all of this, but he shrugged it off when the portal started making loud noises. "Just meet me at the docks south of Power Island in Independence Port. I'll explain the rest there." Siro was now confused, had a gut feeling that he could trust Nytz…..for now. It's not like he had much of a choice either way.

"Paragon is going to be hunting for me. How the hell am I supposed to make it there?!" Then Siro realized he was talking to no one. Nytz was gone. He sighed and clipped the box onto his belt, just as the portal finished opening up. Several Longbow stepped through, pointing at Siro.

"Freeze!! Your under arrest, hero!" The head officer shouted out as Siro reached for the small bow, slowly. He took a deep breath as he pressed the button. A bright red light shined forth from the box, enclosing Siro in it. The Longbow started running at him as he was disappearing. He managed to get out "I'm sorry" right before he vanished.

A bright light shined from a dark alley way in Skyway City, and Siro crashed into several trash cans as he reappeared. He slowly got to his feet even though he felt a little dizzy from the teleport. _Thanks a lot Nytz._ Brushing the trash of his shoulder, he peeked out from the alley. _Too many people to just waltz around….Longbow will be hunting._ He took a deep breath and a few minutes to himself to think. He looked at the small box. _He said my father made it...for me..._

He leaped onto the roof across from him. He slowly made his way to the edge, hunching down to avoid being seen, to listen to a group of Longbow near the building.

"He's still in the city somewhere,' the Longbow Warden said. _That was fast..._

"The city's under lockdown. He won't be getting far…" another Longbow said.

"How could a hero just slaughter those scientists?" A small female Longbow said.

"He's as evil as Recluse himself. They didn't deserve to die, especially like that. Be careful, and keep your eyes open." The Warden said, as he motioned to them and they took off flying. Siro dashed behind the building in a blink of an eye, to avoid being seen. _But I didn't kill them… _He sighed and stepped out from the alley. He looked down at his chest and noticed the teleport pin he had for his Super Group's base. He prayed it wasn't hacked as he pressed the button.

As he reappeared in his base, he dashed around it to make sure it was empty. After he was satisfied it was vacant, Siro leaned against the wall. _I guess all I can do know is meet up with Nytz. I should have been more careful. They died because of me!_ He slammed his fist into the wall. He bit his lip as it smashed against the steel wall. _Dammit Siro calm down. Alright, time to get to IP. But I can't just run around like this. _He walked into the room he had stored some extra clothes in. He kept an extra costume, and a pair of civilian clothes for when he wanted to relax around town. He changed into some plain blue jeans and a black t-shirt. His swords he laid on the table next to him and sighed. _These are going to make me stick out. _He picked up one of them and slung it over his back. _I can't go unarmed though. I just need one._ He wrote a quick note to Captain Mayhem, the leader of his Super Group.

_Hey Fishbait,_

_Don't believe the lies man. You know I wouldn't do something as evil as that. I'm going away for a while till I can prove I was framed. Keep my spot open in the team. I'll be back._

_Sincerely,_

_Squishy_

He sighed as he finished the note. He picked up his other sword, along with his other costume and the note, and walking over to the wall near the entrance, he unsheathed the sword. He took a deep breath as held up his costume and note against the wall, swinging the sword and plunging it in, holding the stuff up. _Fishbait will be sure to see that._ He placed a cap on his head to cover his hair. He then pressed the button at his waist to be teleported back out.

This time he landed on his feet in the alley, back in Skyway. He crushed the small box at his waist. _Don't need that anymore. Not turning back now. I need to find out what's going on._ He dashed out to a small grass clearing. Ducking behind a tree, he saw the Green Line to take him to IP but hesitated. _They might be watching the trams. And this sword could give me away. Looks like I'm taking the long way._ He bent his knees and leaped onto the roof of a building across from him. He then leapt onto the raised highway leading to Perez Park. The highway was dead. _Longbow really went through the trouble of locking down the city. _In just a few seconds, he was at the entrance to Perez.

He blurred past the gangs in Perez, most of them not fazed from the lockdown. He landed in a treetop near the middle of the maze, looking down on some poor soul who was trapped by some Circle. Siro smirked and dashed around the group of circle, using his momentum and the back of the sword to knock them all out. He continued on his way to Steel Canyon, as the civilian he just saved walked around in a daze, scratching at his head.

He landed on a rooftop right inside the gate of Steel. The security guards at the Perez gate didn't even notice. Siro just smiled as he walked to the edge of the roof. He froze. Longbow was everywhere. Just from that rooftop, he could see several sky patrols, and so many walking the streets, he couldn't count. He even saw a few groups of other Heroes patrolling. _Longbow held nothing back. It's only been a few hours, and they've already got an army against me. _He could see the exit into IP, so he had to get there without being seen. _This better be worth it Nytz._ He leapt off and landed next to a dumpster in the alley. He then recognized where he was. This was the same alleyway he met Katie in. He smiled but quickly frowned when he thought of what Katie thinks about him now. He shook his head and looked out from the alley. _You're going to pay Nytz. You are SO going to pay. _He saw his chance as the group of Longbow nearby stopped to talk. He heard them saying something about the hospital teleporter on him not working as he flashed by them. He didn't stop for a second as he went into the tunnel into Independence Port.

_South of Power Island. _He landed on top of the hospital as he entered IP. Then his jaw nearly dropped. Longbow was everywhere. _They must figure this is the easiest way out._ He stood halfway up, looking at Power Island. _Well, here goes nothing. Still don't know why I'm trusting this psycho…_ He took a deep breath, backed away from the edge, and ran at it. At the last moment, he jumped off the top of the hospital. He soared through the air but didn't expect to see Longbow fliers. He narrowly dodged one, but knew it saw something. He dropped to the ground and hid under a bridge as it turned around, looking for what passed it. Suddenly, there were two more fliers next to it. _Shit!_ Without a thought, he slowly sank into the water. He swam faster then most humans, but still not as fast as he could. _This could be bad. I'm not as fast in water…If there are Longb…_ As he was thinking it, he saw a flash of a red and white uniform far into the water. _Damnit!! Give me a break! _He swam as fast as he could to the nearest shore, quickly climbing out of the water. An explosion was heard on the street above him that nearly made him jump through his skin. He looked up to see some Freakshow and Longbow fighting. _Ha! _Siro smiled and used the distraction to leap across the water onto the north side of Power Island.

He quickly made his way around Power Island, ducking behind rocks as Longbow passed. He saw a flash of something huge in the water, but it swam so fast he couldn't tell what it was. He shrugged it off and sped under a dock in the water as a group of Longbow Eagles flew overhead. _I'm going to ruin these clothes… _He walked back up onto the shore on the south side, and he saw a small boat garage that was open. He glanced over his shoulder and dash inside, closing the door behind him.

The garage was dark, light only coming from the two windows, one on each side. There was a small boat inside, tied to the dock. Nytz stood against the back wall, his arms crossed with a smug look on his face.

"Took ya long enough. I was starting to think the Longbow got to ya." He smiled, unfolding his arms and taking a few steps towards Siro.

"Have you seen it out there? The whole city's under a lockdown, with everyone aiming for my head!" Siro yelled, but Nytz quickly pushed Siro against the wall and covered his mouth.

"You idiot! You wanna bring the whole squad of em down here?! Shut up!"

Siro pushed Nytz off him and patted his clothes. He crossed his arms and shot Nytz an evil look.

"Don't ever touch me again…. Now what the HELL am I doing here??" Siro said sharply, careful of his voice.

"It's time for you to go home."Nytz said smirking. Siro's face went from an angry to blank look.

"You….you know where my parents are?….Wait, how can I trust you? You wouldn't help me." Nytz just smiled.

"At the moment, you don't have any choice. You can go home to meet your parents, or be locked up for life for murder." Nytz couldn't help but let loose an evil grin. Siro growled. He could feel a trap, but Nytz was right. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"Alright Nytz. I'll play along for now. Tell me where to find my parents." He had this odd feeling he couldn't quite figure out.

"Mercacorp lab in in Brickstown. Your father is the CEO and lead scientist there. Not much of a place if you ask me, but your old man is smart." He smiled.

"I've checked my whole life here in Paragon for them, and you show up and just happen to find em??" Siro growled.

"I have my ways Siro. I know things you couldn't possibly understand. Plus, I've been in Paragon for quite a while now." He smirked, turning away from him to glance out the window.

"If you don't believe me, fine. I've told you what you've wanted to know for two years. Either go there and find out, or we can get some Longbow in here to haul your ass off to jail. What would you want to do?" He turned back to Siro smiling, and crossed his arms.

"Alright, I believe you Nytz, but why? What do you want from me? Why help ME?" Siro finally got out the question that's been bugging him.

"Heh, you'll find out soon enough. Seems I'll need your assistance."

"And you think I'll help you with something evil?"

"It's nothing like that. Why is it that all you damn Heroes think of it as good and evil?" Nytz clenched his fists.

"I'll explain at a later time. Listen, get to Bricks for now. The lab is south of the prison. 1340 Washington. Go in the back door. I'll be seeing you soon enough." Nytz vanished from sight smiling. Siro started to speak, but once again could sense he was alone. _Dammit!! _He peeked out the door and couldn't see any Longbow around, but could vaguely see the underpass into Brickstown. He slowly opened the door and leaped across the water to the pass, landing right on the edge of the road. He sped into Brickstown.

He didn't stop running as he entered Bricks, knowing there are a few very important heroes that stay here. He dashed into the nearest tree he could find and looked out through the leaves. There weren't as many Longbow here, but even more heroes. He started to wonder why no one could find him. He knew there were psychic and other such heroes our there. He's been trying to keep his mind clear, like he was taught when he was young, but still it shouldn't be that hard to find a single scrapper like him. He shrugged off the thought and counted his blessings. _Not my problem if they can't sense me. _

He dashed from the tree to a tall rooftop in a blink of an eye. Siro felt himself going even faster since he found out how to create his own version of gravity. He wanted to test it out fully, to see what new tricks he could do, but he pushed all that aside. _There will always be time later…I hope._ He landed in front of the prison, staring at it, praying silently that he wouldn't end up there. In the next second, he was on top of it, glancing south towards Washington. He saw a Longbow Eagle squad and dashed into the alley next to the lab in half a second. He smiled at himself and walked to the back door. He saw a metal door with a hand scanner on the side of it. It looked odd embedded in the brick of the building, but he shrugged to himself. _This is it. For 2 years…No, my whole life…this is what I've waited for. Nytz, I will kill you if you're lying to me..._

Siro placed his hand on the scanner and saw it light up, then flashed green. The door opened and he heard a robotic female voice.

"Welcome Siro. Come on in, my son."

_Am I really....home?..._


	4. Reunited

**Chapter 4 : Reunited**

The hallway is long and narrow, with just one door at the end. It's cover in shining silver metal and it looks very clean.

Siro felt an uneasiness as soon as he walked through the door. He figured he was just nervous. It has been two long, hard years since Siro came to Paragon, searching for his parents. With just one more door to go through, that search would be over. For some unknown reason, Siro's greatest enemy told him where his parents were. The idea of this being a trap was still on his mind, but Siro figured it was worth the risk. He had so many questions. Why did they leave me there in the jungle? Why couldn't I stay here in Paragon? What was so important that I had to be abandoned? He demanded answers.

He stood before the door, his stomach in knots, his heart racing. He placed his hand on the sheath of his sword and popped the sword loose, ready to strike just in case. He placed his right hand on the palm reader next to the door. The panel flashed green, and he heard an unlocking sound. The door slid to the side and he stepped in.

It was a small lab, with about 5-6 people walking around. It had a few small tables, with microscopes, test tubes, and other equipment on them. There was an elevator in the back corner, and two offices at the front of the lab. As he walked past the workers, not a single one would look up at him and wonder who is was. He was expected, and he didn't like that. The elevator dinged and Siro looked as it opened. A very familiar person walked out, and headed straight for Siro.

"Took you long enough to get here. Didn't think the Longbow would slow you down that much," Nytz said, the same evil grin on his face Siro was starting to hate more and more. Yet, he felt he wasn't surprised to see him here.

"Nytz...Where are they?"

"Straight to the point? Fine, follow me." He turned and pulled a small card out of his pocket, and headed for the elevator. Siro followed, on edge. He didn't like that Nytz seemed to know his way around here. Doesn't his parent know what is he? He was going to make sure they knew.

Nytz swiped the card at the elevator and it opened. They both stepped inside as Nytz hit the button labeled BF-6. Siro wanted to ask him how he knew so much here, but he kept his mouth shut. He knew in his gut why. Nytz worked for his parents. It had to be. He somehow weaseled his way into the company, and that made Siro feel an uneasiness that wouldn't go away.

The elevator stopped and opened to a large room. They stepped out as Siro took a look around. There was a lot of big equipment here. Several huge machines connected to a center ring. In the center of that ring, there was a glass chamber, with a shining red crystal in it. All the equipment seemed to be connected to that small tube. Nytz smiled and walked up next to it.

"That's your dad's prize achievement. Found it 14 years ago he says." Nytz smiled as he stared at the crystal. Siro just stared at it as well. He's seen that before.

Suddenly, a memory came to Siro. He was young, very young. He was chasing another boy through a lab, running around the tables and laughing. They knocked over a few chairs and this tall, dark haired man yelled at them to calm down. He lowered his shoulders as he shoved the boy and they ran off again. The dark haired man started to yell again, then just laughed. He was standing over something that was glowing red. Sorry, daddy!! he called out.

Nytz suddenly shoved Siro back as Siro shook his head.

"The hell were you doing?" Nytz asked

"...What?... Why'd you push me??"

"You were reaching out towards the crystal...We can't EVER touch that. It has an...odd...effect on people with powers."

Siro scratched his head, confused. He started to speak when a door in the back room opened. A tall man in a white lab coat stepped out. He had long, dark brown hair. He was fairly broad, with dark circles under his eyes. It looked like he hadn't slept for days. He saw Nytz and a disappointed look appeared on his face.

"Nytz! I told you no visitors down here! Do you understand what we're working on?? No one must know! If you ca..." Nytz suddenly interrupted, smiling.

"Mr. Crown, this is Siro, your son." Siro froze. He didn't even breathe. He stared at the man. The man looked at Siro, and smiled. He slowly walked over to him. Siro was paralyzed.

"Siro...I wasn't expecting you just yet. I...uh...I'm your father. Vanson Crown."

Siro didn't even blink. It's been so long, he denied this was even real. He kept thinking he would wake up. Crown...He was Siro Crown. He never could remember his last name. Vanson extended a hand to Siro, and slowly he took it, and weakly shook. His father laughed and pulled Siro closed to him, hugging him. Siro wrapped his arms around and hugged back. He let go and so many things flooded into his mind. He was about to speak when his father spoke up first.

"I know you feel angry, relieved, even sad. I know you have so many questions to ask, and I promise to answer all of them. Right now though, we should meet your mom." He smiled and Siro did too. His mother; he used to dream about being at home and his mom yelling at him to get ready for school. He would always get mad and yell back at her. But, this wasn't a dream. He was finally going to meet his mom. He looked at Vanson and tried to think of something to say. There was nothing to say. He didn't care about being abandoned right then, or about everything. He was home, with his parents, finally.

Vanson led him through a series of doors until the came up to a big door that didn't have any handle or any sign that is was actually a door. It looked like a piece of metal was just built into the wall. His father sighed.

"Alright. Your mother is in here, but you should know something about her first. She's a Hero in Paragon but something happened to her when we started studies on that crystal you saw. She's alive, don't misunderstand...A fragment of the crystal we were studying exploded. She was separated, her mind from her body. Her body is hidden so nothing can happen to it, but her mind is here..."

He swiped his card over the door and a small light turned green. You could hear a bunch of mechanical locks coming undone. Siro had a feeling in the pit of his stomach; he was scared of what he would see.

"What...type of Hero was she?" Siro asked and his dad smiled.

"IS she. She still helps out the city. They classified her as a 'psychic' though she hated being called that. She said it wasn't a psychic type of power. She uses the faint energy and magnetic waves for several things, including the ability to read minds. That's probably why she ended up like this."

Siro wanted to ask more, but felt that it would be best to wait. The door finished opening and it was a small room. Vanson punched a few numbers into a nearby keypad, and the wall opened in the middle. A giant screen appeared. Vanson smiled as a silhouette of a face showed up.

"Trisha, I have someone you should meet. This is Siro, our son."

The face smiled, and it spoke in a soft voice.

"Hello, my son. I'm sorry I can't be here in person to wrap my arms around you." Siro felt as if he could fly. He placed a hand on the screen and smiled.

"Mom, it's been ...a lifetime. I still can't believe it. I'm finally home." The face smiled and looked over at Vanson.

"Dear, let's get dinner ready. We can explain everything while we eat." Vanson nodded and look over at Siro.

"Let me show you to a spare room so you can clean up...I promise, we can all talk at dinner." Siro nodded, but didn't want to leave just yet. He looked at the face on the screen and it just smiled at him, and nodded. He smiled back and followed Vanson out, turning back to see his mom still smiling at him.

In the room was a spare set of clothes, just in Siro's size. The thought crossed his mind how they knew, but judging from what his dad said, his mom simply read his mind. He felt nervous at that thought, but figured he might just get used to it. He took a quick shower and changed. It was a pair of blue jeans and a dark brown t-shirt. He then remembered that Longbow was chasing him. He felt uneasy, hiding out in the middle of Paragon. He sighed and walked out of the room.

"Don't worry about them, they won't find ya here." The familiar voice made Siro jump. Nytz was getting too good at sneaking up on him.

"I was wondering where you disappeared too. I wanna know how the hell you found my parents, and why you're even here." Nytz grinned his evil grin, and laughed.

"You'll find out at dinner. I'm joining you guys." Siro felt his heart sink. He wanted to be alone with his parents, and wanted Nytz to get the hell out.

"Why? Don't you have some innocent people to drain? Go bully someone else." Siro turned to walk down the hall, the way his father said to go. Nytz walked closely behind him, laughing.

"Heh, poor Siro wants to be alone with the family. I'd be happy to leave the Crown family in piece, but I was asked to come tonight. You see, I work as a 'go-for'. Your parents send me around to get certain items and information, when they can't legally do it." Siro stopped. His parents were involved with something illegal? He turned to face Nytz.

"What do you mean? My parents wouldn't do things like that." Nytz shook his head.

"You JUST met them, how would you know?" Siro growled and turned to keep walking. He'd ask them tonight for the truth. He knew Nytz would lie, just to irritate him.

They reached a large room. You could still tell you were in a laboratory, but this room was made to look more comfortable. He wondered if his parents just lived here all year. There were some old paintings on the yellowish walls, and a large wooden dinner table in the center of the room. He didn't feel like sitting just yet, as no one else was in the room. There were quite a few bookshelves around the room. He walked to one and started looking through the books. Most of them dealt with physics and energy. He skimmed through one of them and found nothing at all he could understand. He placed the book back on the shelf as Vanson walked into the room.

"Sorry we're a little late. Trisha loves 'touching-up' her different bodies" Vanson laughed when he saw the look on Siro's face.

"Sorry. Your mother has several different robotic 'bodies' she uses when needed. Most of them look human enough to pass as a regular person, but it takes a lot out of your mom to control one." Siro found himself smiling. Hearing his father say "your mom" just makes him smile. He's been waiting too long for this.

As if on queue, this woman walked into the room behind him. She had long light brown hair, blue eyes, and was just a little shorter then Siro. She was wearing a black and silver dress. Siro was shocked; he could actually see his mother. It looked just like the picture he had of her.

"I thought this one would be appropriate. Siro, come give your mother a hug." She smiled as he walked over and wrapped his arms around her. She felt human, but Siro could feel hard coldness from her body. He looked at her and smiled.

They all sat at the table and ate. The food was already out when they walked into the room. Steak, potatoes, peas, salads and some bread. Siro couldn't remember when he ate so well. As he got a second helping, he saw his father take a deep breath.

"Ok, I'm sure you want some questions answered. Go ahead." Vanson said, looking Siro in the eyes. He didn't really know if he wanted to ask. Siro felt so content, better then he had in so long, that he didn't want to ruin it. But, everyone's eyes were on him, and Nytz, who made Siro angrier and angrier as the night wore on, just for being there.

"Vans...err Dad, the only thing I want to know, is what happened? Why was I left, only 6 years old, to die in the jungle?" Vanson's eyes went dark and sad, as if he was recalling a very painful memory.

"It...Well, what happened is...that...One day, after we picked you up from kindergarten.." He took a deep breath.

"We found the crystal during a raid on a Circle cavern," his mother said, "I was with a group of heroes going down to save a few kidnapping victims. After it was over, while waiting for the police to come down safely, I began searching around. Something was calling me to find it. Then, I saw the crystal laying on a small rock. I snuck it out, careful not to touch it, or let anyone else touch it. I never touch anything of the Circle's...too much risk." The robotic body didn't need to breath, but it hesitated as if she really didn't want to talk

"I studied it. It called to me...but I found it wasn't magic. It was created by someone, or something. We still don't know. It was made from elements found here on Earth, so we know the Kheldians or other races couldn't have made it. Anyway, soon after we found it, I began having nightmares. I say nightmares, but it seems more appropriate to say Visions. I still don't know. I saw you in them, Siro. You were a grown man, a powerful Hero." She stopped again for a minute, and Siro just felt that she was crying. He knew if that body was human, she'd be crying. Vanson spoke up after that. Siro felt he could sense it too.

"In her dreams, you became one of the most powerful heroes this city had seen. We were proud and felt we could trust these dreams...Then, they started to change. She saw you standing over a dead world. A world where every single living being was destroyed."

Siro sunk. The world through that portal... It wasn't just a different dimension. It was a possible future. Vanson sighed, but Trisha spoke up before him.

"I searched my dreams. I could feel that there was a way to change that. When they kept coming, and coming, the same dead world, we got scared. ...I went to talk with Sister Psyche. I hid from her about the crystal, but relayed my dreams. I'm not quite sure why, but I knew I needed to hide the crystal. She read my dreams. We found that if we raised you in this city, in this life, something in you would grow up and destroy the world. I didn't want to believe her...how could we raise someone to be a monster?" Siro could just feel Nytz smiling. That'd nearly pushed him over the edge.

"So, you left me to die in the damn jungle??" He didn't want to get angry, but he just couldn't help it. Vanson let out a long sigh.

"It was Sister Psyche's idea. She promised us that you would live, and would come back to us. We were in the middle of hiding things about the crystal from Crey and other companies...There were rumors about a price on our heads. We went into hiding. We needed to be able to trust someone, so we listened to Psyche. We had my brother fly you out and take you to the jungle. We just...we hated to do it. We had no choice..." Siro sunk in his chair. So that's the whole reason why...They were afraid of me... Siro felt as if he should crawl into a hole, but something flashed into his mind. He pictured his older self in that deserted world when he said, "You want to know the worse part of all this...It's all just a part of a big plot." He didn't understand why he said it, but it stayed on his mind. He looked at Vanson, who was taking a drink from the large mug next to his plate, then at Nytz, who wasn't even trying to hide the smile on his face as he ate. Siro had to ask.

"Ok, there's just one more thing...What the hell is Nytz doing with this company?" Nytz looked up at him as he said that, food nearly falling out of his mouth as he smiled so big. Vanson and Trisha looked at each other. Vanson was the one to speak.

"Nytz has been with us for just nearly 2 years. He has been invaluable in finding out about the crystal. With him working for us, we've nearly unlocked that crystal. When he said he found our son, we had him bring you to us." Siro glanced at Nytz and he just grinned the same grin of his.

"Don't you guys realize what he is?" Siro asked and his parents just looked at each other. Trisha had a confused look on her face.

"I did a full read on him before hiring, like I do on all our employees. His past turned out clean, and his skills as a Hero turned out extremely useful." Siro was lost. He looked over at Nytz who dug in his pocket. He tossed a card over to Siro, and his heart nearly stopped as he read it. It was a Class H hero license in Nytz's name.

"How...What..." Nytz cracked up laughing, as Siro threw the card back at him. He nearly jumped up and started strangling Nytz. Something was wrong. He looked back to his mom and started to say something, but he got a feeling in his gut to drop it. Nytz was the one to speak.

"Mr. Crown, Siro has been through a lot the past few days. I'm sure you heard of the Portal Corp slaughter..." Nytz shot Siro a look. His parents were obviously deceived. He was going to make sure they knew the truth.

"I knew it took a little convincing when you thought your son killed them, but I have a reason to believe he was framed. I know, also, that you trust me. I want you to trust me on this, and we'll help clear Siro's name." It took all he had not to jump up and kick Nytz's ass. He was playing his parents, but why? Vanson cleared his throat.

"Well...I guess we have no choice. You're welcome to stay here as long as you need too, Siro. But, there's my own reason I asked you to join us tonight Nytz. We have a small problem..." Siro glanced at Nytz, giving him a 'your going to die' look. He looked to his father as he talked, and felt a pain in his stomach. He wasn't going to like this.

"Trisha has been doing some digging into recent Circle and Crey activities. We...well...There's more then 1 of these crystals...From what we could tell, there's 2 more. We need them. Nytz, we want you to help us obtain them, and Siro, we would love your help on this. Trisha and I will work on clearing your name." Siro just blinked. Nytz was stunned as well, as he stood there with his mouth half open.

"Va..er...Dad...I really don't feel comfortable working with him..." Siro said, glancing back at Nytz. Vanson laughed.

"Siro, he's a hero just like you. You guys will be fine. Please, we're asking for your help. We don't want these powerful objects being in corrupt hands."

"I...well...I guess...but.."

"Good, it's settled. Trisha will give you all the details after we finish dinner. Thank you Siro." His father smiled and nodded at him. All Siro could do was nod back.

They seem to trust Nytz with everything...They won't believe me even if I said something, he thought. He felt uneasy, but tried to focus on what he just learned. His parents we're acting in his best interest, with the advice of a hero. He felt like he could forgive them. He wanted a chance with a family.

Nytz looked at Siro and grinned the same old grin. Siro started to finish his meal, the whole time wondering what Nytz was planning.

_We have to work together..._

_...Just great..._


	5. Decision

**Chapter 5 : Decision**

The door slid shut behind Siro as he walked out of his room. He tightened his sword around his waist. If I must work with him, no way am I going defenseless. He carefully looked over the file in his hands. The first target was a circle cavern, where his mom had been getting strange signals from it. She said it felt just like the ones from the crystal they posses. The second was a Crey facility right inside the Founder's Falls underpass. Siro didn't like this, he had a bad feeling about it. But, he promised his parents to help out, and he figured that if these things were that powerful, what better hands to be in then a Hero's and not Crey or Circle?

His parents...He still has had a difficult time getting used to staying with them. It's only been a week, but things haven't gone smoothly. It bugs the hell out of him that Nytz has free access to nearly everything. Not to mention they hold him as some high hero. He tried to talk to Vanson once about him, but with no success. His father shrugged it off as nonsense.

"Nytz is a great hero and employee. You must be confusing him with someone."

The only good thing is that Trisha got Longbow to believe Siro might have been framed. Siro talked to a few detectives and because the surveillance videos were corrupt, they can really blame him. Not to mention none of the victims blood was found on Siro's weapons. He was given a free pass out, but not to leave town. It's been bugging Siro, because he knew who the killer was, but no one would believe him. He started down the hall to go talk to his mother when he could feel Nytz's evil grin.

"I know your there, stop stalking around." Siro said, crossing his arms.

"No fooling the mighty Siro." He laughed. "You all ready to leave?...I hate this as much as you do, but ...we need that crystal." Siro glared at him, unfolding his arms and continued walking down the hall.

"So Nytz, how'd you do it all? Work your way into Paragon and up the hero ladder?...Not to mention, find my parents before me..." Siro hasn't had a moment alone with Nytz for a while. He wasn't about to let this slide.

"It's a gift. I might let ya know one day, before I kill ya definitely." He laughed and disappeared again. It made Siro tense, but he didn't worry. He turned the corner to his mom's room and saw it was already open. He walked in to see Vanson and Trisha talking, Trisha was in another robotic body.

"Hey, Siro. Your father and I have another meeting to head to, so we're just prepping for it. You all ready to head out?" Siro nodded. Despite everything, it felt good to have a family. Vanson grabbed two containers from a small cart and walked over to Siro.

"Alright. You know where they are, but just a few more things to tell you. First of all, Do not, under ANY circumstances, touch the crystal. It has random effects on people with abilities. You saw what it did to your mother, we have no idea what it could do to you, Nytz, or anyone else. These containers can hold them with nothing to worry about. As well as these." He pulled out a white pair of gloves, with wires weaved in and out of them, and tossed them at Siro.

"Since you can't touch it, wear those. They're made just like those containers are, and with the same materials. They allow you to grab the crystal to place it in the jar." Siro nodded and slipped on the gloves. They were a bit tight, but comfortable. Siro attached the container to his belt.

"Anything else, Dad?" He still felt odd calling them 'Mom and Dad.' He figures he'll get used to it eventually.

"Yeah, come back in one piece Siro." Vanson smiled, and Trisha came up and grabbed him by the shoulder.

"We're going to be late. Siro, good luck and hurry back." Trisha smiled and they walked out of the room. Siro followed and stopped when he saw Nytz.

"Ok, I know where we start.. Let's go, oh mighty Siro." He laughed and walked towards the elevator leading up. Siro growled and followed. _I swear...I hate him._

The cave was on a small island in Talos. There was an old, creaking wooden door covering the entrance, with the words "Keep Out" painted in a sloppy red. Nytz pulled open the door as it fell off the hinges and landed on the ground with a thud.

"That's never good..." Siro said as they walked in. The cave's walls were a dirty blue color, seeming to be carved straight out of the rock. The cave was empty, as they walked through the tunnels and found only a small room with a big hole in the center. They looked at each other and shrugged.

"You first, Siro." Nytz said as Siro glared at him.

"No way. I'm not turning my back to you. You go." Nytz got an angry look on his face.

"I could throw you down there, you want that??" Nytz's fists started to glow red as Siro grabbed the handle of his sword. They stood and glared at one another.

"Try it Nytz. Please. I've been waiting for you to fuck up..." Siro smiled and Nytz threw a fist into the wall near him.

"Fine. Don't piss me off again, or you're going to regret it." He leaped down the hole as Siro smiled to himself. _Bring it Nytz. Nothing would make me happier._ He jumped down after him.

They landed hard in a small room. The walls were bricked, with strange glowing symbols etched in them. There was a door in front of them. It was a big, wooden door that looked very heavy. Siro walked up to it and pushed on the right side. It took a little effort, but the door made a load creaking sound as it opened.

"If they didn't know now..." Nytz smirked, walking past Siro and disappearing. Siro glared and focused. He could still feel Nytz around him, so he moved on. Siro heard of this place before. The lost city of the Circle. . He heard horror stories of some Heroes never coming back. He shrugged it off and kept walking. The hallways were eerily empty. They could hear sounds deep in the walls, but they couldn't see anyone, or anything. Siro saw something out of the corner of his eye, but as he looked nothing was there. Nytz sensed the same and suddenly appeared.

"We're being followed, but not attacked...I don't like this." He said as his fists glowed. Siro pulled out his sword and held it close. They entered a huge chamber, at the bottom of it. There was a tall column of earth in the center, with wooden bridges and walkways leading up it. They could both feel something happening at the top of it. Siro readied to jump as he saw several cloaked figures come out from behind the column, all pointing crossbows at them. A few of them had glowing staves in their hands. One of them with a tall orange cloak walked out from them, pointing at the heroes and speaking in a otherworldly voice.

"Stay right there Heroes. I saw you all coming for the crystal, and you can't have it. You're both going to be the sacrifice that binds me to it!!"s At that, the tall man disappeared and all the ones with a crossbow fire at them. It took a split second as Siro and Nytz looked at each other, and charged the groups. Siro dashed into the air around the arrows, running along the column and falling behind the group on the left. He used his speed and the blunt end of the sword to knock out several ones with the crossbows. The others pulled some oddly shaped swords and swung them at Siro. He used his sword to block one and sidestepped another. He swung his leg into one of the holders and nailed him right in the gut. He heard one of the ones with a staff chanting something, so he grabbed another with a sword, spun around at an incredible speed and threw him into one of the Mages. He jumped up into the air as the few remaining swung their swords at him. He spun around them in a tight circle, causing dirt and dust to fly up, covering them. He focused and pulled his blade up, pointing the blunt end at the group. He extended the sword and you could hear cracks as he spun around the group. The dust settled and he relaxed as everything fell to the ground unconscious.

Nytz jumped over the arrows and landed in the middle of the group. He disappeared as he slammed his fists into several of the Guides. A bright red would shine out with each hit. One of the mages was starting to chant, as Nytz tore his staff from him, and smashed the orb at the top into his head, shattering the glass. The guy fell to the ground as Nytz twisted and grabbed another by the neck. The others turned to look as Nytz lifted him into the air. It started to get cold around them as Nytz drained the man of his energy. He dropped the guide to the ground and heard his bones break when he hit. He turned to the others and continued to simple knock them all unconscious. Siro walked over to Nytz and glared.

"I thought Heroes didn't kill, Nytz..." He had a small smirk on his face as he faced Siro.

"You of all people know I'm no hero," he grinned that same evil grin as he looked up.

"Only one left...He's mine." Nytz said as he leapt into the air, up the column. _Damnit, Nytz. You never change._ He leapt after Nytz and landed near the top. The Agony Mage was standing in front of a podium with a crystal, about the size of a small kiwi, in front of him. It was glowing brightly as he turned to face the heroes. Siro looked at the crystal, as suddenly he felt a very sharp pain in his head. He grabbed his head as another memory rushed into his mind.

It was the middle of the night and he should've been asleep. It was storming outside, and he was scared. He was about 5 years old. As he was walking to his parent's room, a bright light shined from around the corner, leading to his dad's office. He slowly opened the door. He knew he'd get in trouble for being in here, but he was too curious. He walked to his dad's desk, where the light was shining very brightly. He squinted his eyes as he pulled open the drawer. He opened a small box, and a crystal was inside. The light stopped shining as Siro stared at it. _Cool! Daddy always has neat toys!_ He reached out and touched it, as a bright light flashed forth and he fell on the floor, unconscious.

"Siro!!! WATCH OUT!" Nytz yelled as Siro snapped back into focus. A huge piece of rock flew towards Siro, but Nytz shoved him out of the way and it crashed with him into the wall. Siro stood shocked, as he turned to face the mage. _I need to focus...Nytz can take care of himself_. He did find it odd Nytz took the hit for him, but there was no time to think about that now. The mage stomped his foot into the ground and sent a shockwave right at Siro. He leapt into the air, barely dodging as the mage slammed his hands together, sending another wave in the air and slamming Siro into the back wall. He sword fell to the bottom of the room as he shook his head side to side. That HURT! He dashed back to the mage and slammed a hard fist into the side of his head. The mage slid back but was still standing. Siro blinked as the mage smiled and slammed a stone covered fist into Siro's gut. He coughed up some blood as he took a few steps back. The ground as Siro's feet became loose, and he slowly started to sink. The mage sent another stone fist into Siro's face, knocking him onto his back. The ground the became solid, causing him to be stuck. The mage walked over to Siro and pulled out a small dagger.

"Now hero, let's begin. I need your life to finish this." Siro started tugged at his hands and feet to loosen them. No use... The mage kneeled down to Siro and raised the dagger above his head as Siro's sword plunged through the mage's chest. He turned his head as Nytz lifted him into the air by the sword. Nytz had blood coming from the top of his head, and yelled as he threw the mage against the ground. He looked at Siro and tossed the sword at him.

"You owe me, you son of a bitch." He growled as he picked the mage by the neck and began draining his life. Siro turned his head again. That reminded him too much of what Nytz did 2 years ago. He looked at his sword, the blood still running off of it. He used the gravity and lifted his sword into the air, and plunged it into the ground right next to his left hand. That loosened the ground enough that he was able to pull his hand from it. He grabbed the sword and started carving his way from the ground. He stood up as Nytz dropped the body of the mage to the ground. Siro looked at it. His skin looked like it was vacuumed to his skull. He turned his head and looked at the crystal. It was pulsing a red aura very dimly. They walked over to it and Nytz nearly picked it up. He pulled his hands back, looking disappointed.

"You have the stuff. Take it, and let's leave this hell hole. I'm sure the racket we caused is going to bring some real heroes down here," He said, as Siro picked up the crystal. He could still feel it pulsing in his hands. He studied it before he put it into the container. It looked like a small piece of the one in the lab. In fact, there was a ragged edge that looked like it was ripped off. You could almost see though the crystal. As he looked into it, he could swear something was looking back at him. He went to put the crystal away, when they both heard voices coming from below. They peeked over the edge and saw a group of Heroes walking into the chamber.

"Shit. Put that thing away Siro." Nytz said looking at Siro as he reached for the container, but it wasn't there. He looked and pulled the clip the container was on and saw a shard of glass.

"Damn! You broke it?!" Siro glared as Nytz said that.

"I didn't break it! That damn mage threw me into the wall. It must've broke then." Siro held the crystal in his hand and pulled off the glove around it, wrapping it in the glove. He slid it into his pocket as Nytz shrugged.

"I guess that works. Give it to me. I can slide by them easily and take it back to the lab." Siro started too hand it over, but something made him hesitate. He slipped the crystal into his pocket, as Nytz had an evil look come across his face.

"No, I'll take it back to the lab." Siro said, trying his hardest to hide the smirk on his face. Nytz said nothing and disappeared, and Siro felt him leave. He sighed and sheathed his sword. He was about to leap off when he fell to his knees, another sharp pain, and another memory.

He woke up in his bed, his head hurting very badly. His bedroom door was locked and he couldn't get out. He walked over to it and pressed his ear against it. He could hear his parents talking with someone.

"Trisha, dear, I don't wanna do that to our son. How could that happen with us?"

"It's not you guys, Mr. Crown, it's something else. I can't sense everything, but something happened with your son recently."

"Thank you, Sister Psyche. My husband and I will take this into consideration." There was a sound of the door shutting, and Siro kept listening.

"Vanson, he touched the crystal. I don't know...I just don't..." There was a sobbing sound.

"I know he did...He changed...It was the same night your dreams changed...I was scared to death when I found him unconscious. I had to pry that crystal out from his hands." The sobbing stopped.

"You didn't..."

"No, I haven't touched it. Those gloves I made work...We need to do what Psyche said...For his own sake..." The sobbing started up again, this time louder. Siro felt sad, but he didn't know why.

"I'll call my brother...He builds those jets. He'll help us."

Siro shook his head from side to side, pulling the crystal out from his pocket. His father's voice rang in his head, Do not, under ANY circumstances, touch the crystal. He saw the Heroes down below. They were examining the bodies of the Circle. _Damnit, Nytz killed some of them. How am I going to explain that.._ The crystal pulsed out and he nearly dropped it. The heroes looked up towards him and made their way up the column. _Son of a..._ He shoved the crystal into his pocket as they came up. None he recognized except one. Hovering in the air was Katie Rose. He nearly fell over when he saw her.

"Siro...What are you doing here?" She asked as the other heroes gathered around. One looked like a machine, frost leaking out the sides of the armor. Another had tall spiky red hair, and stood with his arms crossed. Another female hero stood behind him, in a white and blue outfit. Katie was in the same white outfit Siro saw her in last. He kept going over and over in his head what to say.

"Well, We...uhm...I was sent here to investigate what was going on in this cavern." They looked at him suspicious, and he swallowed, hard. The woman behind him spoke up first.

"Psyche called us in to take a look. She said she sensed some very odd readings from here. She didn't say anything about another hero team..." He turned to look at her, a little stumped what to say.

"Well...I had a feeling something was going on, so I came here." Katie landed and took a few steps forward.

"You just said you were sent here...What's going on, Siro? Did you...Did you kill those men?" Siro wanted to slam his head into the wall. This wasn't going good. He had this gut feeling not to mention the crystal or his parents.

"No, I didn't kill them. I don't kill." The one in the cold armor picked up the mage's body, looking at the sword wound and studying it.

"I've never seen this before. The sword wound isn't what killed him," he said in a mechanical voice, looking back over at Siro. The one with red hair got closer to Siro.

"I think he's lying. Let's take him with us. I'm sure the police would like some answers." Siro sighed as that hero talked. He needed to get back, he didn't have the time to explain everything, nor could he. All of a sudden, the one in armor flew towards the back wall, crashing into it. Siro could sense Nytz.

"Damnit, he's not alone!" The other woman said as a fire surrounded her. The one with red hair charged Siro, as Katie yelled out.

"Stop, don't attack!" Siro dodged the man's fist and, reluctantly, sent his foot into the man's gut, sending him off the top of the column.

"I don't want to fight!" Siro said as the other woman sent a flying fireball right at him. He leapt out of the way, but it singed his clothes. Katie flew into the air as the red haired one leapt back onto the column, charging back at Siro. Nytz appeared in front of him, startling him as he sent a fist into the side of the hero's face. He flew off the side and Nytz dashed after him. Katie started to yell out orders.

"Samantha, slow Siro down, I'll check on Cold." Samantha smiled as Siro looked at her. She launched another fireball at him, as he dodged though, he could feel an energy around him. Samantha pulled a fist towards herself and Siro felt something leave him. He tried to run but ran like a normal human. Shit! He couldn't dodge the next blast and it seared half his clothes. His lower pant leg was gone, along with half his shirt. His skin felt bruised, but not burnt too badly. She's not trying to kill me. He noticed the crystal laying on the ground. He felt for his pocket and only felt his ! Samantha saw it and reached for it. He went wide-eyed and got a burst of speed. He kneed Samantha in the stomach hard, but whispered I'm sorry in her ear as she fell back off the column. Siro could hear her crashing into the wood pathways, then the sound of a teleport. She was teleported away to the hospital. Siro had a sick feeling in his stomach as he turned to see Nytz standing a few feet behind him, holding the red haired hero by the neck.

"Nytz, don't!!" He rushed Nytz and kneed him in the back, causing him to drop the hero and skid towards the side. Nytz started to charge Siro as a blast of ice flew between them. The other hero was hovering with Katie next to him, holding a sword of Ice in his hand.

"Alright, let's just calm down a bit." Siro said as Katie looked over at him.

"Calm down?! You attacked us!" He felt a pain in his stomach as she said that.

"No, HE did! I was attacking in self-defense!" Siro yelled, pointing at Nytz, who just had that evil grin on his face. Katie yelled out again.

"He's with YOU! ...I didn't believe about those scientists, Siro...But now I see it HAD to have been you!" She flashed a look at the other hero.

"I got your back, Cold Grip. Get them." She said as Cold charged Siro and Nytz. All of a sudden, sharp icicles started to rain from above them. They slashed at Siro's skin as they fell. He dashed back as Nytz charged Cold. The hero threw shards of Ice at Nytz, which froze on contact. Nytz stopped, slammed his fist into the ice on him. Siro watched as Cold continued to unload on Nytz. He felt as is he should help, but didn't want to fight a Hero. He glanced at Katie.

"What the..." A rusted up car crashed into Siro and threw him up against the wall. He saw want looked like a sofa flying towards him as he leapt up onto a ledge built on the wall. He glanced at Katie and could see a small tear in the air. A statue of some kind flew from the tear and was launched at Siro. He leap back to the top of the column again. He felt frozen in place.

"I'm going to hold...you here until the police arrive..." Katie said, seeming strained. Siro looked to see Nytz frozen in Ice. This is bad. He felt gravity around him, holding him in place. He looked back up to Katie, who slowly landed next to Cold. She seemed to be focusing to hold Siro in place, while talking to Cold. He was down on his knees. It looked like he was breathing heavily. Siro saw the crystal still laying on the ground, a few feet from him. He didn't want to hurt Katie, or Cold, or any of the heroes. But, that crystal had to get away from here.

"Katie...forgive me" He said as Katie looked at him. All of a sudden, the same statue Katie threw at Siro, came flying back at them hard. They flew off the ledge and Siro could hear the sounds of their teleports going off. He fell to his knees, with a slight headache._ First time...I tried using that much gravity... _He took deep breaths. He laughed as he looked back at Nytz. He got to his feet and walked over to him. He slammed his sword into the ice as thousands of cracks formed. The ice started to glow and Siro leapt back. Nytz yelled out loud as the ice around he exploded. He glanced around angrily.

"Poor Nytz. It seems you got owned by a blaster" Siro laughed, as Nytz growled at him.

"Just grab that damn crystal and let's..." A fireball exploded on Nytz's back as the red haired hero flew into the air.

"DAMN IT!!!" Nytz yelled as he leapt at the hero, shoving him into the wall. Siro ran after him but was slowed again to a crawl. Samantha jumped near him, with Katie hovering behind. Cold flew at Nytz and sent several ice shards into his back, and the other hero exploded in fire and sent Nytz flying back. He landed next to Siro and jumped up. Katie focused on him and held him still. Siro and Nytz looked at each other, then to the heroes.

"Alright now...Longbow are on the way. You two aren't moving until then." Katie said, straining.

"I bet you we are," Nytz said, grinning evilly. A bright red light flashed and he disappeared from sight. Siro felt Nytz leave. That backstabbing son of a bitch... He looked over at Katie, who looked worried.

"You two, go find him." Cold and the other hero nodded at each other, and ran off. Siro was left alone with Katie and Samantha. He took a deep breath, and glanced at Katie.

"Listen, I'm not one of the bad guys. I just need to finish my mission. Let me leave."

Katie scoffed.

"I don't trust you. I'm going to let Longbow handle this." Siro sighed and glanced at the crystal. He heard some voices from below.

"Here they are, finally." Katie sighed and Siro could feel her hold slip. He emptied his head. I need to leave. He dashed at the crystal and scooped up the ground under it, careful not to let it touch himself. Katie gasped as Siro ran across the wall. He was going top speed as he flew down the wall. He heard something crash behind him. Katie had started to throw things at him. He landed at the exit to the hallways when he stopped. Longbow!

"Siro! FREEZE!" They all pointed guns at him but he dashed off. Running along the wall, back towards the top of the room, he could see Samantha and Katie. She started throwing more fire at Siro, as Katie focuses to slow him down. Siro saw Cold and the other hero down by the Longbow. He dodged various blasts of fire and ice, but could feel Samantha trying to drain his speed. Then, Katie landed a square hit with a bookshelf right into Siro's back. He yelled in pain and fell to the ground. He saw the Longbow rushing at him, as well as the heroes closing in. _I'm trapped..._ The crystal rolled out in front of him. It pulsed, as if it was calling out to him. He sighed. _I can't let them find out about it...I don't know...I just can't... _He took a deep breath, reached out, and clutched the crystal in his hand.


	6. Change

**Chapter 6 : Change**

The whole world shook. A bright red light filled the cavern, coming from his hands. He cried out in pain, feeling a surge of hot, excruciating energy flow through his body. A wave of invisible energy flew in all directions from his body. The heroes and Longbow were thrown back. The cavern shook and started to crumble. The ground below him quaked and cracked. Dirt and rocks fell from the ceiling and the column began to fall. His body brightly shined red. Suddenly, an explosion of energy burst from his body, bringing down the rest of the cavern. The shaking stopped, along with the screaming. An loud, mischievous laughter rang throughout the cave. He slowly stood up from the rubble, his eyes glowing a dim red, laughing with a smirk on his face. He glanced at a Longbow soldier pushing a rock off him, and reaching for his gun. He slowly walked next to him, cracking his neck.

"Sir...Siro...your under...arrest." He barely managed to speak. Siro simply looked at him, and in a quick move, crushed the Longbow's hand beneath his foot, making him drop the gun.

"No, We're not...and It's not Siro...call us Red." In a flash, he was gone. The heroes and Longbow eventually dug out and got to their feet. Katie glanced at the Longbow, and the officer in charge looked at them and shrugged.

"That kind of power was not in his files..." The Longbow said.

'Red' stepped out from the entrance of the cave. He looked down at his hands, clenching and unclenching his fists. The crystal was gone. He glanced around at the sky, smiling to himself. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He could hear, no, sense the Heroes and Longbow coming back up from the cave. _It's been way too long._ He looked down at his tattered clothes and smirked. He closed his eyes as a bright red glow came from his body. It wrapped around his limbs, then became a clothlike texture. When the glow was gone, he stood in this red and black armor pattern all over his body. He lifted his head and looked towards the main island in Talos. _The last one...Crey's Folly...Nytz is already there..._ He started to run, then disappeared in a flash heading for Crey's.

He landed in front of the building he sensed the crystal in. It looked run down, and not the site of a Crey facility. The door was ripped off. As he stepped inside, he saw several Crey employees unconscious. He stepped over some, and noticed a few of them had been drained. _He's getting desperate_. He started to dash through the building, following the bodies. As he was running, a sharp pain in his head brought him to his knees. He held his head with one hand, slamming the other into the ground. _Damnit! Stop it!_ He leapt up into the air, onto his feet. He was swinging his head wildly, and slammed it against the wall, leaving a hole. He repeatively punched at the wall, making bigger and bigger cracks. _You need me right now! STOP!_ In a bright flash of light, he buried his hand into the wall, and the pain stopped. He slowly walked back and took a deep breath. He cracked his neck and starting running through the building again.

"FINE! I'll open this damn thing MY WAY!" Suddenly, the body of a very large man came flying down the hall. Red stepped to the side to dodge him, and glanced towards the room he came from. He could hear a sound, as if something hard was pounding and tearing at metal. The room was large, with equipment along the walls. Some more Crey personel were spread unconsious throughout the room. He saw Nytz on the upper level, slamming his fists several times into a safe door. Suddenly, Nytz stopped and turned to look at him.

"I was wondering if you made it out," Nytz said, smirking. In a flash, Red was standing next to Nytz, staring at the safe. Nytz leaped back shocked at his speed, then his eyes widened. He seemed to shake, as if he was completely lost in his own mind. Red turned to smile at him.

"What, Nytz? You afraid?" Red smirked. Nytz regained himself and glared at Red.

"Never...Just can't believe you did it. You touched the crystal." Red laughed.

"It wasn't my first time," He smiled and slammed his fist into the wall next to the safe door. It left a large hole, as he reached his other hand in and gripped the safe door. Nytz leaped back as Red yelled out, pulling at the door. Cracks formed in the walls around the frame, and several popping noises were heard. Red grunted as the door ripped away from the wall. He steadied himself and tossed the door over his shoulder, narrowly missing Nytz. He growled, as Red looked back at him and smiled.

"Siro, watch yourself," Nytz said, crossing his arms, and stepping into the safe. Red smiled, walking in with him.

"It's not Siro...We are Red." Nytz turned to look at him. His eyes went red as he stared at Red. He looked as if he was focusing, but then they went back to the black they always have been.

"You're...different." Nytz said, and Red smiled at him. A red light filled the safe suddenly. They both looked at a small container, holding another shard of the crystal. It got brighter as they stepped closer to it. Red reached out to grab hold of it when he suddenly heard a lot of noise behind them. He walked out of the safe and could see Crey personnel surrounding the room. He smiled to himself and half turned to Nytz.

"I'll take care of this," he said, Nytz not even acknowledging he heard him. He was focused on the crystal. The Crey formed a circle around the safe, pointing guns at Red. The Crey tanks stood in between the others. Red counted several of them.

"Wait!" Suddenly, the Crey turned around to face behind them. The moved to the side as a taller man, in a blue and yellowish outfit walked towards Red. He had a helmet on that he couldn't see through. The Crey smiled to themselves and put down their guns. The man stood a few feet in front of Red and pointed at him.

"By the power of the Paragon Protectors, Siro, you are under arrest." Red smiled to himself as the Crey backed away from the Protector. He pulled the sword loose from his belt, and dropped it to the ground. Three long claws extended from the Protector's hands. He started running at Red, raising his left hand with the claws pointing out. Red grabbed the man's arm, knelt down, and slammed the man hard in the gut with his free hand. Then he pivoted on his heels, twisting and throwing the man hard into the wall next to him, leaving cracks in it. Red smiled as he quickly picked up the man by the helmet, threw him hard into the ceiling, and leapt upward, sending a knee into his gut and pushing him even more into the ceiling. As he fell, Red twisted around and sent a foot into the Protector's helmet, cracking it and making him skid into the ground. He crossed his arms and smiled.

"Arrest? ...You sure about that?" He laughed then stared as the Protector got to his feet. The wounds he caused he could see healing through some torn parts of the man's outfit. The Protector unbuckled his helmet, and air hissed as he pulled it off. The man had long, dark brown hair, and his face was covered in scars. He tossed the helmet aside and smiled at Red.

"Oh I'm sure." He charged Red again, swinging one claw towards his head. Red blocked it by his arm, and jumped back as the Protector swung another set down at his stomach. Red landed a fist into the man's left temple, and landed his other fist into the man's chest, pushing him back. Red ran at him, twisting around and landed his foot into his gut. He leapt into the air and landed the sole of his foot square into the Protector's face. He took a few steps back as Red grabbed both of his arms, jumped up and landed both of his feet into the Protector's chest. He let go of his hands and pushed off, sending the man flying back into the hallway. Some of the other Crey charged. Red caught one by the foot as he went to kick, and slung him into another one that was running towards him. A tank shot a bolt of electricity at Red as he leapt to the side of it. He ran at the tank, slamming a fist hard into his armor, and heard it crack. Red called his sword to him, and slammed it in the sheath into the side of the tank's head. This caused the sheath to fly off, as Red swung the sword and lightly slashed into another tank. A few wires stuck out from the crack in the tank's armor, and Red smiled.

"Enough!" A voice came from the hallway. and the Protector walked in front of Red. The other Crey backed away, and encircled them. Red laughed as the Protector charged him. He ducked under the man's fist, and slid behind him, swung around with sword, and slashed the man in the back. The wound closed before Red even finished. The Protector laughed and leapt into the air, pointing his claws at Red. He grunted jumping back, and charged the Protector, making a clean slice right through his stomach. He smiled to himself and sheathed the sword. As he turned to look at the Protector, he felt a sharp pain in the side of his back. The Protector leaned in, pushing his claws deeper. Red twitched, his eyes began to glow fiercely. He yelled out and the man was thrown back by an wave of energy. Red turned to face him, then charged and landed and hard kick in the gut. Then, twisting around he slammed the side of his other foot into the Protector's head. Yelling out, he grabbed the man and slammed him into the wall. He kept slamming fist after fist into his gut, sending him deeper and deeper into the wall. He leapt back onto the ledge and charged the man in a flash, smashing his fist directly into the Protector's forehead. He walked back and took a deep breath.

"Regen...that, bastard." He looked at the other Crey as they began closing in on him. He pulled out his sword when suddenly and bright red light filled the room. Red glanced at the safe, his eyes widening.

A wave of energy threw all the Crey into the wall, as Red tried to hold his ground. The safe exploded, sending rubble flying in all directions. Red flew backwards into the hallway from the blast. A loud yell was heard, as the room imploded on jumped back to dodge the ceiling falling in on him. The ground started to shake violently, then it suddenly stopped. A bright beam of light shot out of the rubble and disappeared.

Red started walking straight when he felt something behind him. He quickly turned to see nothing. He pulled out his sword, then felt a very sharp pain in the middle of his back. He went flying into the wall, bounced off, and fell to the ground. He jumped up but was sent flying into the ceiling. He still couldn't see anything at all. As he fell, he felt something slam into his chest and he skid to the ground.

"Show yourself!!" He yelled, struggling to his feet. A familiar, yet darker laugh rang through the halls. It sent cold shivers down his spine, as he struggled to see someone. He felt a presure around his neck, and it became hard for him to breathe. Suddenly, he was lifted into the air. He grabbed what felt like an arm around his neck, and sqeezed. Nytz faded slowly in front of him, smiling with a wicked grin. He tossed Red against the wall, letting go of his neck. Red slowly stood up, rubbing his neck, and glaring at Nytz.

"I knew we shouldn't trust you..." Red stated, with Nytz slowly walking towads him.

"Nah, ya shouldn't have. But, Siro was too naive to see it. He wanted to see his parents so bad, he would've done anything I told him." Nytz smiled, looking at Red.

"Although, when I saw you had surfaced, things had to...change some." He glared at Red, crossing his arms. Red stood ready, clenching the sword in his hand.

"Siro knew not to trust you, Nytz...He had no choice. He wanted to find out what you were up too. And now, I know. He thought the crystals would mean something to you." Red threw the sword pointed at Nytz in a flash. Nytz smirked and dodged it with speed he hadn't seen before. But, he himself smiled and in a flash, grabbed Nytz by the neck and pushed him up against the wall.

"I know what your going to do now, and I can't let you..." Red said, squeezing Nytz's neck. In a flash, Nytz grabbed Red's neck, and pushed himself off the wall. They both started sueezing harder, glaring at each other.

"I'm afriad, Red...That you don't have a choice." Nytz smiled that evil grin of his.

"You know what gift I was given, with the first piece of crystal a year ago?" Red stared at Nytz, squeezing. Nytz just laughed.

"I found I was able to control things, people even, by implanting them with a small shard of the crystal that I could make. Now, just think...What could I do with someone that has a whole shard in them?" He smiled, then his eyes suddenly glew bright, as he threw Red up against the wall. Red grabbed at his head, a sharp pain and ringing going through it.

"I don't need you to interfere. Let's bring back the gulible Siro, shall we?" Red yelled out in pain as Nytz held up his hand towards him, his eyes feircly glowing. He walked slowly towards him, keeping his hand level with Red's head. Red fell to his knees, his eyes flashing rapidly, and feeling like he was being torn in two. He got slowly back on his feet, as Nytz grabbed him by the neck again, and looked deep into his eyes.

"You were a fool, Red. I know what you are now, and not even you can change things...Interfere again, and I'll make sure Siro won't have a life to return to." Red growled, as Nytz sent his fist right into his temple. Red's body went limp. Nytz tossed him to the ground and smiled.

"Time to secure the final crystal, then I'll be back for you and yours, Siro" He laughed and in a flash was gone, leaving Red on the ground.


	7. Truth

**Chapter 7 : Truth**

Siro...wake up, my son...

...Wake up...

Help us, Siro...

Please...

Siro grunted as he opened his eyes. He was in a hallway, and he could see a Crey symbol on the wall nearby. His head hurt, badly, and his throat felt raw. He looked down at his clothes, and pulled at them. It was material he'd never felt before. As he started to stand up, he took a look around him. There were many cracks in the walls, and it looked like someone tore half the building down. He saw his sword and walked over to it, picking it up. He saw small scratches in it, but just shrugged to himself and sheathed it. _What the hell happened...Last thing I remember..._ He took and step back and glanced at his hands. _The crystal...I grabbed the crystal... _He walked slowly down the hall, towards the rubble.

Siro...help...

He suddenly stopped and looked around. He knew he wouldn't see anyone, but he instinctively looked anyway. Something in his gut pulled him towards the exit. He felt he knew where he had to go. He stepped out of the ruined office and looked up into the sun. Must be getting close to dark… He felt like he had rocks in his stomach. Something was pulling at him, urging him to run He glanced in all directions, but saw nothing. He couldn't hear any of the usual sounds of animals or the mechanical works of the Folly, either. Things felt odd.

…help…

He felt a push in his side, and ran off. He was running extremely fast, even to him, and found himself at the exit to Brickstown in a matter of seconds. As he stepped through, he could see people going about their normal business. He let out a small sigh he was holding in. He wasn't sure why, but he felt as things were different. The two security guards at the gate eyed him oddly, but he ran off, dashing down the street, going through the back door into the Mercacorp lab.

The lab lights were on, but it was past the time the employees went home. He felt the pulling in his gut again and a slight ache in the back of his mind. He walked into the elevator, and nearly pressed the floor for the bottom lab, but something told him to check his mother's floor. As the doors shut, the power went out. He knew the building had backup generators, but they didn't kick on. He sighed and pushed the hatch in the top of the elevator open. He looked down into the shaft and sighed again. He fell between the wall and the elevator and caught the ledge of the floor he wanted.

As he pried open the door, he heard some shouting down below him. He couldn't make out the voices, but as soon as he was about to leap down, a sharp pain in his head pulled him through the door. He fell to the ground and in the next second, the elevator above him went flying down the shaft. The pain disappeared as Siro leapt up, and heard the big crash. He shook off the thought of someone controlling him, and started walking towards his mother's room in the darkness.

When he reached the door, he felt that the door was bent inwards. The pit in his gut came back as he pulled the door off, despite it being metal. He wasn't thinking about that as he ran to the computer screen his mother used to communicate. It was cracked in places, with other parts of it completely missing. He reached out in his mind to his mother, as a hidden door in the back of the room popped open. He looked at the door as he slowly walked towards it. It blended in perfectly with the wall. No one would've known it was there. He placed his hand on his sword as he walked through the door, and froze.

His mother's true body was lying in a hospital bed. She was pale and had what looked like computer wires coming out from under the blankets she was under. The door closed behind him as he slowly made his way to the bedside. It was the first time he saw his mother's true face, and he felt horrified. It looked like the life was drained right out of her.

"Siro…don't be afraid…" He could hear her voice in his head. He spoke out loud back to her.

"Mom...What…Who did this to you?" He felt as if his heart was lying on the floor.

"I've always been hooked to those wires, Siro. They amplify my abilities, allowing me to control those robots you've seen…and reach out to you."

"But…your body…it's…"

"Yes…We should've listened to you Siro…Nytz did this…The only reason I'm still alive is because my energy is within this building. But, I don't have much time Siro…"

"Mom…I should have…I could've ended this…"

"No Siro…this would've happened…no matter what…Come close to me, son"

Siro walked and stood right up against the bed. The wires started glowing brightly, along with her body. Siro could feel the energy flowing around him, as it slowly dissipated.

"…Mom?..."

The silence disturbed him a lot. He nearly jumped when Trisha's hand reached up and grabbed Siro's. He looked right into her eyes as they opened. She smiled weakly. She began to talk, weakly.

"I'm using the last of my energy to look into the eyes of my son. …I'm so sorry for everything. Abandoning you, hiding from you…We believed we had to, for your own sake." Siro wanted to talk, but she held up her hand.

"Siro…When we sent you away…Sister Psyche and I used our powers to block out parts of your memory. Things happened after you touched the crystal the first time. You created this entity you called 'Red'. We don't know how exactly…It was a powerful creature that only listened to you. That was the gift the crystal gave you. You created an extraordinary being." Trisha's voice was quickly growing quieter, and Siro squeezed her hand.

"I must get this out….But, we found out it has an adverse affect on you. Red needs a host to survive. He chose you, and we quickly started to lose our son. The crystal itself is from a different galaxy. From what we think, it was created by a race of people that used them as energy sources." Her eyes closed for a minute and Siro nearly yelled. He started to shake her and she looked him in the eyes.

"Psyche and I….sealed off Red…inside you…" She released her hand from Siro's as it started to glow.

"I had to tell you everything we knew…Red has always been with you…he used the crystal when you touched it to release himself…and …you must…" The glow started to fade, but Siro willed her to finish. He grabbed his mother's hand and her eyes jerked open.

"Siro…Nytz will kill you….You must…control…Red…ally with him" Her eyes flashed brightly, as Siro started glowing. Memories of his childhood flashed through his mind. He could remember falling outside and scrapping his knee, and Red would tell him he'd fix it and it would heal…He remember throwing a bar stool through the wall when his parents tried to convince him Red didn't exist…He could even remember Psyche putting her glowing hand over his eyes, telling him everything would be OK…He remembered all of his childhood now. Days of just playing in the sun. Nights where he would lay in bed, and Red would tell him things, stories, of this other world. He remembered, and felt as if he could still feel Red inside his head.

He opened his eyes, and could feel the energy flowing through him. He looked down at his mom as the glow faded, and she smiled.

"I undid everything…Psyche and I…did too you…" Siro could feel tears welling up in his eyes.

"Nytz…has the last crystal piece now…Claim it from…him…They seem to be…yours…Use them…" Siro placed a hand over his chest, as it started to glow red. He could feel the energy from the crystal now, and he knew what he had to do. He looked down at his mom as he felt her go limp.

"I love you, Mom…I'll make you and Dad proud…" Trisha smiled weakly.

"I know…you will…My son…I….I…" Siro felt the energy around him completely dissipate. He reached out for his mom again, but heard nothing. A few tears rolled down his cheek as he laid down her hand. He covered her face up with the blanket, as the whole building suddenly shook violently. He glanced at the door and ran, not turning to look back at his mom. He felt he knew what Trisha had to say, and smiled.

He got to the elevator and glanced down the shaft. Fire and sparks were all he saw at the bottom. He glanced in the direction of the stairs and bolted down them. He moved faster then he ever has, and nearly couldn't stop when he reached the bottom floor. He took a long breath and searched his mind. He could feel Red.

_So, are you with me on this? You know I can't do this alone_. He could hear a laugh echo in his mind.

_Siro…Siro…All this time I've been locked away in a hell you couldn't imagine, and you want me to help you? Unlike what your mom said, you know I'm no entity you created. You remember everything about my galaxy now. You know I chose to seal myself away in this godforsaken crystal, and launch myself to your planet to escape death. Being locked inside you're mind was a hundred times worse then this crystal. Secluded, yet never alone... _

_You know I had no control Red. I do remember it all now, but you've been with me, feeling and seeing everything I have…You must want this too… You've been my friend, Red. Throughout the breif time we had as kids, you were my friend. You told me amazing things. Things that can help this world out in ways us heroes could never. I want to do those things, Red, but I need your help. Please. _

Siro heard nothing else. He sighed, and pushed open the door leading to the lab, feeling alone. The door was shut up ahead, but a bright red light shined out from the edges. Taking a deep breath, he placed his hand on the door, and pushed it open.


	8. Revenge

**Chapter 8: Revenge**

There were several bodies of employees lying on the floor. Siro had to step over them. Glass was scattered everywhere, along with a bunch of lab instruments. Even several lab tables were broken, most of them in half. He saw the canister in the middle of the room was empty. The crystal was gone, just like Trisha said. Suddenly, a loud yell and a crash were heard. He pulled his sword from his sheath when he heard a loud, malevolent laugh ring out through the entire lab. He headed towards the back of the lab, where he knew his father kept a small, hidden room for his own personal use. He could feel the energy radiating out of the room as he got closer. He stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath. Glancing at his reflection in the sword, his stomach turned uneasy. He knew what he had to do, knew how he had to do it, yet he doubted himself. A flashback came to his mind.

He was running through the jungle in the rain, blood running down his sword. He was going full speed as he heard yells coming from behind him. Skidding to a stop in front of a large canyon, he turned to brace himself as Nytz leapt out in front of him. The look of hatred in his eyes, the feel of the punches when Nytz hit him, Siro knew he was finally going to end it. He allowed himself a small smile and twisted the sword in his hand. The same sword Simon gave him to finish his mission in the jungle; he was finally going to use it to end it all. He tried reaching out to Red in his mind again, but heard nothing. It made him sad. He could now remember the times he had with Red, but now he was shunning Siro. He pushed the thought out of his mind and placed a hand on the door, pushing it open.

Nytz was standing there, his back to Siro, holding up Vanson by the neck against the wall. Siro immediately charged him but was thrown back by a large red circle around Nytz. Vanson looked towards Siro, his eyes sad. He charged again, pushing himself, willing himself, to get at Nytz. He was still stopped short. Vanson struggled underneath the death grip Nytz had on him. Suddenly, the air got very cold in the room, and a dark aura surrounded Nytz. Vanson opened his mouth wide, as if he was gasping for breath. Siro's eyes went wide and he started violently slashing the shield Nytz had surrounding himself.

"Nytz! STOP! STOP NOW!" He yelled out, but Nytz didn't even turn to look at him. Siro slammed his sword into the sheath and started pounding on the shield with his fists. Vanson's hair started to turn white, as Siro could feel blood coming from his fists. He turned to grab a table from behind him and tossed it into the shield. It bounced off like a rubber ball and went flying to the other side of the room. Siro jumped into the air and stabbed the shield as he fell. A force threw him into the wall, but he ran and started slashing the shield again.

"Nytz! Stop! Or I WILL. KILL. YOU!!" Siro yelled out with a force that shook the room. Nytz suddenly yelled out in a roar and it threw Siro out of the room. He skidded to a stop and was about to charge when Vanson's body came flying right at him. He leapt into the air and caught him, laying him slowly down onto the ground. His skin look vacuumed to his bones. His eyes were still open, but void of anything. Siro felt himself get cold, that's the only way he could explain it. The last ties he had to his family were gone. It had just been a week. One week was all he got with his family.

He reached up and closed the eyes of his father; the skin feeling as it could just fall off. His eyes started to swell up, and he had to fight back the tears. Barely any time had passed when he met up with his parents, after 15 long years without them.

And now..

They were dead.

"They're dead…"

Siro slowly stood up, and glared at Nytz. He was walking towards Siro, with the grin Siro despised. There was a strong, red glow around Nytz. He was glowing red; sparks of pure energy coming from him. As he got closer to Siro, he got tenser. He never took his eyes off Nytz, feeling a surge of hate run through his body when Nytz stopped.

"What's wrong, Siro? You knew this day would come…"

"You…killed...my family."

"And you killed my tribe…Do you remember that, Siro? ...Do you remember slaughtering them all?" Siro tensed up. He remembered it all, of course. He felt a pit form in his stomach.

"You cared nothing for them, Nytz…You used them…You killed your own chief. You we're just using them, LIKE MY PARENTS." Nytz frowned, and flung out his hand towards Siro. He felt paralyzed, and was slowly lifted off the ground as Nytz raised his hand into the air. Siro couldn't move.

"And why do you think that was; because I'm evil? So evil, that I would kill the man that taught me everything I knew? …No Siro, that wasn't why." Siro didn't care. This man was going to die.

"The chief killed the woman I loved to spite me…We may have been a ruthless tribe…but we we're still human. We still had feelings. He took what I valued most from me…" Siro blinked, unsure what to think.

"He raped and slaughtered her, right in front of me. He had the power to control, much like what I have with these crystals. He made me watch her die…After so, so many years of being with her. You can't even imagine how long we've spent together. I had to kill him, to pay him back, Siro…Much like you're going to try and kill me now…" He smiled, putting emphasis on the word 'try.' Siro grunted.

"Then why, Nytz…Why go through all this trouble? Why find and manipulate MY family?? Why spend the last two years hunting me down, going after these crystals?? Are you truly that evil?" Nytz laughed out loud, releasing his grip on Siro. He landed on his feet and stared Nytz down.

"Easy answer: Power. The power I felt within you when I drained your energy was intoxicating. You're different Siro…And I need your power. I can harness the energy I drain, and I need more. With enough power, I can bring back my wife…We were supposed to be immortal, but I found that wasn't true." Nytz turned away for a second, and Siro felt a pain of sympathy, but not enough. He glared and felt the rage for Nytz return.

"So, that justifies you slaughtering innocent people? Murdering my family, stealing what little I had left in this world, to fuel yourself?? To bring back the dead?! You CAN'T undo the past!!" He pulled out his sword and pointed it at Nytz.

"I don't give a shit about justifying what I do! If you knew of only one way to bring back the people you love, to create life, what would you do for that kind of power?! Centuries we spent together SIRO! Coming and going as we please! I would do ANYTHING to get that BACK!" The ground violently started shaking when Nytz yelled out. He pointed a finger out towards Siro.

"YOU have the power I NEED! To restore what I lost!! To give me what I had! YOU, and ONLY you, SIRO!!" He leapt at Siro with such speed; Siro couldn't even blink in time. Nytz's fist landed directly between Siro's eyes. The force was so hard, the ground below Siro cracked when he hit. He literally flew through the air, into the wall, and soared into the next lab. He would've kept flying if he didn't use every ounce of energy he had to stop himself. He landed with a thud on the ground, still skidding across the floor and bumping the wall. His vision was doubled. He was surprised he was still alive as he rubbed his eyes.

_Choosing you for a host does give you special advantages, ya know?_ Siro smiled to himself to hear Red.

_I thought you left me for good._

_I can't leave, as I'm bound to you now. Always have been, and always will be. Now, let's show this guy not to mess with us._ Siro cringed a little, actually feeling a bit sorry for Nytz, but that feeling quickly went away.

_He killed everyone I loved…Everything I knew…Even used them first to gain his power...But would I do the same? I want them back Red...I'd do anything to get them back..._

_You are NOT like him, Siro…You've used what abilities you have for good…Even back then, that tribe was going to murder your peaceful one. Your parents did die, but they died doing what they believed was good. He fueled heroes, and his studies will continue to help the world. Your mom did so much in her time. Don't let their memory be tarnished. Don't be like Nytz. He's only fueling his own selfish desires…_

Nytz didn't give them time to finish. Suddenly he was in front of Siro, and grabbed him by the neck. As he lifted him into the air, Siro smiled.

"No more, Nytz. I'm sorry for your loss, and maybe things would have been different if we knew, but it's too late for that" Siro's eyes flashed red, as he grabbed the hand that was holding him.

"By the authority of the Paragon City Police Department, and that given to me as a Hero, Nytz, I place you under arrest for the murder of the Portal Corp scientists, and for Vanson and Trisha Crown!" In a flash, Siro sent a kick to Nytz's head making him drop Siro and skid backwards. Nytz looked surprised, then angry. Siro had a faint glow around himself, and he smirked.

"I have sacrificed TOO much!! I will not fail! Siro, you WILL DIE!" Nytz charged Siro again, swinging at Siro's head. He caught the fist with a grunt, and tried to knee Nytz in the gut. Nytz blocked with his own knee, and slammed his head into Siro's. He staggered back, and Nytz shoved him into the wall, leaving an impression in it. He quickly kneed Siro in the gut, and threw him over his shoulder, back into the other room. As Siro passed the wall, he planted a hand into the floor, springing him upright and onto his feet. He leapt into the air to the side, just barely dodging Nytz as he charged. He slammed his foot into Nytz's spine, careening him into the nearest wall. Siro landed as Nytz pulled himself out.

"No…I have the crystals, Siro…you can't win…I. AM. IMMORTAL!" A huge bolt of red lightning struck Siro from Nytz's hands, flinging him upwards through the many floors of Mercacorp. He finally slammed into the ceiling of the front lobby. He didn't even touch the floor before Nytz slammed his foot right into Siro's chin, sending him through the front glass doors into the street. He leapt to his feet once he stopped skidding and saw a huge hole in his shirt, but his skin was barely scratched. Nytz walked out the front of the building, as Siro glanced around the street. It was barren, surprisingly. He then noticed the blue force field around the entire block. Even more surprising, was the crowd of civilians and heroes gathered around the force field, staring at Siro. He was more confused than ever, as he felt a voice speak into his mind.

"Siro, this is Sister Psyche. I've been following your actions ever since your mother released the barrier around your mind. The field was put up to protect the city. I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to leave, as it would make an opening for Nytz to escape." Siro felt a little alone, and picked Psyche out in the crowd. She gave him a slight nod. He turned his attention to Nytz as he started to laugh out loud.

"An audience! A great way to see a hero fall! After I'm finished with you, I'll start on them! I'll have more then enough power!" He leapt towards Siro at a blinding speed. He reached for his sword to slash at Nytz, and noticed it wasn't in his sheath. Nytz landed a good punch to his gut, which knocked the wind out of Siro. He stepped back as Nytz turned to roundhouse kick him. Siro caught his leg, flung him around, and slammed him into the ground. Nytz flipped backwards, landing on his feet.

"You can't beat both of us, Nytz." Siro grinned as his eyes flashed, and Nytz's had a surprised, then a shocked look on his face, like he just realized who he was fighting. At that time, Red slammed his fist into Nytz's chest, with a jolt of red energy; Nytz skidded back, digging his feet into the ground. His eyes shone a bright red as he flung his hand out towards Siro's head. He fell to his knees, clutching at his head, and yelling in pain. Nytz laughed and slowly walked forward.

"You forgot my new gift, ol' Red. I can control those with a crystal. I can make you AND Siro MY puppets!" He was standing directly over Siro by now, his hand just inches from Siro. His head was touching the ground, and then he started laughing. Nytz was confused, but he kept his hold over Siro. He kept laughing louder and louder.

"No more! Nytz! NO MORE!!" Nytz was then punted high into the air as Siro straightened up, his eyes burning red. He launched himself up into the air, as Nytz regained himself. He held out a hand as he was flying, pointed at Siro.

"STOP!" Siro slammed himself into Nytz, holding him by the neck as they began to fall.

"It no longer works, Nytz. I am in control now. Not Red. Not you. Me." Nytz looked pissed, but he felt himself being pushed towards the ground. Siro had a hold on his neck, and was pushing them at the ground as they fell. They landed with a loud thud; the ground cracking below them. Siro leapt off Nytz and staggered. He slowly raised himself to his feet, staggering as well.

"You…will pay for that." He said, catching his breath.

"I thought you were all powerful; Immortal, Nytz. You can't even kill me." Siro smiled. Nytz growled out and charged Siro, his strong red glow returning. Siro grinned and charged back at him. They both landed a punch on each other's face. Nytz swung with his other hand, but Siro caught it, and held it at his side. Nytz held Siro's other arm at his side, as they glared into each others eyes. Nytz growled, and started kneeing Siro in the gut. Siro blocked with his own knees, and they kept hitting each other over and over. Siro slammed his head hard into Nytz's, pulling him close and doing it again. This loosened Nytz's grip and Siro slammed his foot into Nytz's gut, sending him skidding into the ground. Siro landed and caught his breath, as Nytz leapt up, a small line of blood coming from his mouth.

"It's not over yet, Siro…These crystals are mine…They give me power…" Nytz growled. Siro grinned and walked towards him. Nytz took a step back.

"No Siro. I. WILL. NOT. LOSE!" He yelled as he started to brightly glow red, and the ground started to quake. He launched himself in a red blur at Siro, smashing his fist hard into Siro's gut. He kept punching over and over and over again, as if a blind fury came over him. He slammed the back of his arm into Siro's head, sending him flying off to the side. He flew right after Siro, grabbing his face and digging Siro into the ground. He then picked him up and slammed him into the side of the force field, scaring several of the citizens on the other side. Lifting Siro up by his face, he slammed another fist into Siro's gut, making him cough up blood. A dark aura started to form around Nytz.

Siro's eyes went wide.

"It's time to finish this! I will finally have the power! Siro! I WILL WIN." Siro gasped for air as he could feel the same thing he felt two years ago. He grabbed at Nytz's arm, but he couldn't budge it. Several thoughts ran through Siro's mind. His parents laughing over dinner the past week when he told them some of his bad jokes. The way his mom's robotic screen always seemed loving. The little girl he gave that autograph too. He wondered what she would do with the paper. He even wondered if Katie would forgive him. He felt a little regret. He wanted to ask her on a date. He just didn't man up to do it yet.

Yet.

Guess that time won't come now. He could feel the coldness surround his body, as Nytz focused everything on Siro.


	9. Judgement

**Chapter 9: Judgement**

That's when he thought he heard something. He saw someone in the distance, and then Nytz was shoved forward by a large blast of fire. He flung Siro to the ground and turned to see Cold Grip and the other fire hero from earlier.

"Hey! You mess with one Hero, you mess with us all!" The fire blaster said as Cold stepped forward.

"Want some more of this, Nytz?" He said as he flung a bolt of Ice at Nytz. He dodged and ran at the two heroes.

"Idiots! I will kill you all!" Nytz said as the slammed Cold in the stomach, but the other blaster grabbed Nytz around the waist and tackled him to the ground.

Meanwhile, Siro struggled to get to his feet, feeling what little energy he had left, slowly drain away.

_It's almost over, Siro. We can finish this…_

_How? He's right…I tried to kill him two years ago, remember? A sword through his head wouldn't do it._

_Relieve him of his power. All the lives he's drained, set them free._ Siro smiled to himself, and then fell against the force field. He laughed softly.

_I can't even stand, Red…Plus, you have any idea how to do that? I'm not exactly a Circle mage, nor do I really have his 'leech' ability._ He laughed a little.

Suddenly, Siro felt a surge of energy flow into him. Katie floated down next to him, and leaned him on her shoulder.

"You think we'd let you do this alone." He looked around to see several heroes from his Super Group floating in the air, as well as Samantha on his other side.

"We'll give you a little boost; you just make sure to take this guy out." Sam said, as Siro felt a jolt of energy from her, as well as from the group of heroes in the sky. He smiled to himself, and took a few steps forward.

"Thank you guys, but please get out of the force field. This is going to get bad, and those teleporters won't help you much." He smiled, and the two nodded. He grabbed Katie's arm as she walked away. He stuttered.

"Uhm...you think...after this is over...I can take you out for coffee? I mean, if I can stop him from killing us all?" Katie smiled and blushed.

"That's a big if, Siro, and you think this is the time?" Siro laughed.

"Didn't hurt to ask, did it?" he smilled at her.

The group of heroes left the field, as he saw Cold and the other guy teleport away from Nytz.

_We're going to have to get that guy's name sometime, Siro…_

_I know…We ready, Red?_

_One more thing…remember that Hyper Ring you have?_ Siro glanced down to see the ring still on his right hand. He laughed as Red sent a small part of his energy into the ring. The stone on it changed from black to red.

_This is it…You know what we have to do, Siro?_

_Yeah…but Red…Your plan means.._

_Don't worry about it…Remember what I said earlier?_

Siro whistled out loudly to grab Nytz's attention, who turned around in a rage. Siro was feeling brand new, with all the help he got from the other heroes. Nytz started walking towards him, his glow still shining brightly. Siro took a deep breath and walked towards Nytz. He could feel the eyes of all the heroes and people gathered around. He stopped walking when Nytz did.

"I grow tired of you, Siro. I had you, and then these damn heroes had to screw everything up! I'll get each and every one of them once I'm finished with you! I'll be more then ready then. It's tim t END THIS!" With that, he lunged out at Siro. He swung a fist towards Siro's face, who caught his arm, bent down, and slammed his own fist right into Nytz's gut. He coughed up some blood, but swung his other arm at Siro. He caught that one as well, and while holding both arms, kneed him hard into the gut. He coughed again, and Siro brought him but a couple inches from his face.

"This is it Nytz…"

_Try harder…piss him off…_

"You lost. Give up now, and I'll make sure you have a padded cell." Siro grinned and Nytz snarled. He tackled Siro to the ground and slammed his fist into his ribcage. Siro heard a few cracks, and felt for sure they were broken. He eyes flashed red as he used the energy to throw Nytz off him. He leapt to his feet just in time as Nytz kneed the ground where he was laying. Siro swung around and slammed his foot into the side of his face. That threw him to the side, but he planted a hand on the ground and landed on his feet.

_Stop beating him up…Piss him off…Trust me…_

"Nytz! Let's finish this! I'll stop you here and now! You will pay for my family's murder!!" Siro started to glow himself, and Nytz snarled.

"Fine Siro! I'll send you to HELL!!" He brightly shined out as well, and they charged each other. They matched hit for hit with each other. Nytz would slam his fist into Siro's face, and Siro would land a solid kick to Nytz's gut. He twisted his leg around and aimed for Siro's head. Siro grabbed it, and slammed his body to the ground. He landed hard on Nytz's chest, and slammed his fists into his face repetitively.

Nytz shoved him off with a blast of energy, and charged Siro. In a bright flash, Nytz's arm dug into Siro's chest. He gasped and looked down. His arm was glowing red, but it didn't look as if he pierced the skin. He felt Nytz clutch the crystal inside his body, and his eyes went wide. A surge of hot, excruciating energy flowed through his body as he screamed out in pain.

"These crystals ARE MINE! It's time to complete the set!! I'll rip it from your body itself!" Nytz yelled out as he started to pull his arm out of Siro's body. Siro nearly blacked out, but pushed through the pain. He could feel Red and nodded to himself. He yelled out, and plunged his own arm into Nytz's chest, clutching his own crystal. It was a strange feeling, but he felt as if he could connect with Nytz. He even felt something familiar inside him, and he realized he was feeling the energy Nytz had drained. It was his own that he was feeling, what Nytz had drained two years ago. He shook his head and glared. Nytz's eyes flashed brightly, as he yelled out just as Siro had done.

"LET GO!! SIRO!! MINE! THEY'RE MINE!" Nytz growled and they stared each other down. They got so close, pulling at each others crystals that their foreheads touched. He felt as if he could end this all, with a slight yank of his arm. He could use the power himself to restore his family, to finally kill Nytz. He could do so much good with so much power, it was so tempting.

But Red was holding him back, and Siro knew why. He had a flashback of the alternate realm he went to. The whole world was in ruins, and he remembered what his alternate self said.

"I am you, Siro. And behold, this is the power we hold!!" He realized this was the point in time where everything could change. If he took the crystal from Nytz, he couldn't contain the power it would give to Red, and everything could be destroyed. He wanted to try though. He wanted his own family back. He wanted things like they should be. He wanted a chance at a normal family.

_It's time Siro…You're not Nytz. You know the past can't change. Don't undo what your family wanted..._

He slowly nodded, and released Nytz's crystal. He laughed out loud and yanked the crystal from Siro's body. It was the most devastating feeling he had ever felt. It felt as if his very being was ripped in two. As if his innards were ripped out from his chest. A blinding light shone forth and Siro was thrown far back into the force field. He landed with a thud, with just enough energy to lean against the field to hold himself up.

The ground started shaking violently, and he could hear the screams of the citizens. He saw Katie and the others looking at him in disbelief. He lost. Nytz had the whole crystal and was yelling out in the most depressing sound he ever heard. Siro couldn't even see him; the light was too bright to look at directly. Siro fell to the ground, as it was too hard to stand because of the quake. Suddenly he couldn't hear anything, and he saw things in slow motion. Psyche was outside the field, with the heroes, trying to get everyone away. He saw a few heroes pick up the small children and fly off with them. Psyche shot him a sad look as she flew off in a force field of her own, taking several people with her.

Suddenly, a large bolt of energy flew out from Nytz, and struck the field. The field flickered for a moment, then the whole thing dropped. Siro struggled to his feet, waiting for his cue. Several more bolts of energy shot out, striking the nearby buildings, crumbling some of them. Siro prayed silently that there was no one in those buildings. Nytz roared out loudly and Siro turned his attention back to him. Then, in an ungodly voice, he could hear Nytz laughing.

"This power! This ultimate power! Unbelievable!" He reached for the ring on his hand, but pulled back. He stared into the bright light, and he swore he could make out Nytz.

"I finally have it! Silthea! I can bring you back! I can turn this world into one where you'll be happy! Anything you want! Silthea, come back to me!! My wife, come join me once again!"

Siro could feel Red reaching out to him, and Siro nodded to himself. He hit the button on the ring, and it shone out in a bright red light. Siro could feel the energy flowing into him, as he went transparent. The only things visible were his eyes, shining a bright red, and a light red aura that was Siro. He then dashed at Nytz, full speed, willing everything for this to work. As Siro entered the light, he could feel Red coming back to him. He smiled, and absorbed himself into Nytz.

His wild laughing was suddenly halted, and the light immediately died. All the shaking stopped. The heroes stopped and turned to look.

All you saw was Nytz, doubled over, his face scrunched in pain.

"It's…not…fair…" Nytz suddenly yelled out loudly as a bright beam of light shot from his chest into the sky. The ground cracked in several directions from Nytz, and Siro was thrown from his body. He skidded into the ground, but jumped back up. He was back in his original form, and you could see the crystal as the beam of light died. Nytz was also thrown back, but he just stayed on the ground.

The crystal fell to the ground, and Siro ran up to it. For the first time, he saw what the whole thing looked like. It was a smooth shape, with three parts coming out from a center piece. It shined a faint red. He longed to touch it again, but he resisted. He could feel Red calling out to him, and he smiled.

_Siro…Let me do one thing before you finish this…_

The crystal shined brightly, and hovered slowly into the air. It started to spin rapidly, then shot a beam of light directly at Nytz. He yelled out in pain. Siro nearly reached out to stop Red, but then a beam of light hit him. Siro could feel energy flowing into him. His skin started to get a little darker, and his hair color was changing. It turned back into it's original brown that he used to have as a child, with a small hint of red. His muscles were building more as well. The light disappeared from both Siro and Nytz. He felt complete, for the first time in a long time. The crystal spun once again and Siro's swords fell at his feet. He laughed and picked them up, hooking them to his waist.

_You know what you have to do…_

_Red, are you sure? … There's no other way?_

_Yes…Finish this, so it won't ever happen again…I didn't expect all this when I arrived here. I'm sorry to cause so much, Siro. I truly am._

_My friend..._

With that, the crystal shot a final beam of light into Siro. He felt completely refreshed. It flew high into the air, above the city. He sighed, and pulled out the sword Simon gave to him. He bent at his knees, and soared high into the air, after the crystal. He soared above it and looked around at the city. It was peaceful once again. He could see the sun start to set in the distance. Everything moved in slow motion. He pulled out his sword.

Pointing his sword downwards, he landed the tip of it directly in the center of it. A bright light shone forth, covering nearly the entire sky. He could see cracks forming in it. He felt a little sad, but Red spoke into his mind.

_Goodbye Siro…It was definitely an interesting trip…_

_Goodbye, my friend. I promise I won't forget what you've told me._

The crystal then exploded in a bright light. He felt again as if something tugged at him inside his body. Then the connection was gone. He could see the pieces dissolving into the air as he fell back to the earth. It looked beautiful as the shards filled up the sky.

When he landed, he looked over at Nytz. He had managed to get to his knees, but stayed there, staring at the ground. He was breathing very heavily. Siro walked over to him, pointing his sword down at him.

"Are you going to kill me now, Siro? Revenge tastes so sweet. I would know." Nytz said and sighed. Siro thought for a moment, and smiled.

"After everything you've done to me, to the world, I honestly would love nothing more. But, there's so much more things worse then death Nytz…You should be grateful you're alive." Siro sighed as well, putting his sword into his sheath.

"What could be worse then being striped of all your power, and losing what you worked what seems like an eternity to achieve? …I have nothing left..." Nytz slowly stood up onto his feet. Siro didn't fear him anymore. He was defeated, in spirit. He turned to see the other heroes coming back, and smiled.

"Nytz…I'm now placing you under arrest for the murder of the Portal Corp scientists, along with Vanson and Trisha Crown." Nytz looked at him for a moment. He seemed confused.

"After all I did, you just letting me go to prison? That's it?" Siro sighed.

"Yes, that's it. Unlike you, I'm no longer a murderer. I've changed in those two years Nytz. I've grown to learn the value of life." He lowered his head a bit.

"I am sorry for your loss, Nytz. I truly am. If I would've known, things just might have ended differently." By now, the Longbow were walking up to both of them, along with Psyche.

"Siro, I've filled these officers in on what events just happened. You've been cleared of all charges." She turned to the Longbow officers.

"Please arrest Nytz, for murder." They nod and place Nytz in handcuffs. As they take him away, she turns back to Siro.

"So, do we have to worry about him breaking out of those?" Siro laughed slightly.

"No ma'am. He's powerless. I don't know how, but he has been drained of all power by the crystal." Psyche looked up into the air.

"So it's gone. It's a bit of a shame. I wondered if that could be harnessed for good." Siro shook his head slightly.

"It's best we never find out."


	10. Looking Ahead

**Chapter 10: Looking Ahead**

The crisp wind was blowing faintly. Fall was coming fast, soon he'd be seeing snow everywhere. Siro straightened back up, after placing the flowers he bought on his parent's grave. He still regrets so little time with them, but he's grateful for what he did have. He looked at Katie standing next to him, and smiled, placing an arm around her waist.

"Can you believe, a month has already passed?" Katie said, as they walked back to the edge of the cemetery. Siro let out a long sigh.

"I know. It still feels like yesterday sometimes. I do miss them." He said, feeling a frog in his throat.

"I know. I can't even imagine. Just be glad with what you did get." She smled at him, and gave him a slight peck on the check. He squeezed her waist..

"Anyway, how do you like the SG?" Siro smiled to himself, wanting to change the subject. After all, he finally convinced her to join hi Super Group last week. She sighed to herself.

"You're never going to shut up about it, eh? I like it, okay? Shut it!" She laughed and shoved him to the side. Siro laughed and smiled at her.

"Oh, how did the thing with the lawyer go?" Siro grunted to himself. He really didn't want to talk about it.

"It's all settled. Since I am the only known kin, I inherited my father's company. I still don't think I should even take down the boards over the windows…Too many bad memories." He sighed to himself. The company had been abandoned ever since. Katie shoved him.

"You know how many jobs that could provide? You'd be doing Paragon a favor by opening it back up…Plus, it's not like you don't have the money now to fix it up…" She was right there. Along with the company, came all of his parent's earnings; All several millions of dollars of it. He had planned to give it all away to some charity, but Katie did bring out a good point.

"I don't know. I'll think about it, I guess." They made it to the street when a few cop cars came rushing by, flying down the road with their sirens on. Siro and Katie looked at each other and shrugged.

"All in a day's work, shall we?" Siro smiled at Katie, who was already in the air, flying ahead of him.

"I'll race ya there!!"


End file.
